By David Laprad
On a warm Sunday afternoon, residents gathered at the Red Bank Community Center then spilled out toward a wooded trailhead that had been more than 60 years in the making. With a ribbon stretched across the entrance and a crowd of city leaders, partners and neighbors looking on, the city officially opened the Godsey Ridge Trail System – a project many described as both a milestone and a promise fulfilled.
The April 19 ceremony marked the culmination of years of planning and collaboration, but its roots reach back to 1965, when the city first imagined trails winding through the ridge for public recreation. At the time, funding constraints halted the effort. On Sunday, city leaders celebrated what they called a long-overdue realization of that vision.
“Over 60 years after first initiating plans for Godsey Ridge, we’re finally making good on that development,” Mayor Stefanie Dalton told the crowd.
The new trail system at 3653 Tom Weathers Drive is funded through a Tennessee Department of Health Project Diabetes grant, allowing the city to complete the project without local tax dollars. The result is a multi-use network designed for hikers, cyclists and families of all experience levels.
A community effort decades in the making
City officials and project partners emphasized the trail system is a reflection of collaboration across agencies, nonprofits and local organizations.
“Today marks a remarkable accomplishment by the city of Red Bank and many of our partners,” said Jeffrey Grabe, the city’s Parks, Trails & Recreation manager.
Grabe credited a broad coalition for bringing the project from concept to completion, including the Tennessee Department of Health, the Trust for Public Land, Ptarmigan Trails and local organizations like SORBA Chattanooga and the White Oak Bike Co-op.
The Trust for Public Land helped guide design and community engagement, while Ptarmigan Trails handled construction. The grant funding – more than $400,000 – covered the project in full, an outcome Dalton highlighted as both strategic and impactful.
“We’re opening up access to a public space that has been desired in our community for over six decades,” Dalton said.
Tim King of the Tennessee Department of Health called the project a standout among those funded statewide.
“This is one of those projects that we’ll use as a poster child as we share our work with other places around the state,” King said.
Designed for all users
The Godsey Ridge Trail System was intentionally built to accommodate a wide range of users, with varying levels of difficulty as the trail climbs the ridge.
At the base, a six-foot-wide gravel path offers what builders describe as an “all ages and abilities” experience – accessible, gently graded and free of major obstacles. As users move higher, the terrain becomes more technical, with narrower, more natural paths following the hillside contours.
“Pretty much anyone can use the lower level,” said Eddie Kessler of Ptarmigan Trails, the firm that built the trail. “But as you climb, the path begins to wind more, and the terrain becomes increasingly natural.”
At the summit, roughly 200 feet above the trailhead, visitors reach a stone-inlaid gathering space designed to offer views and a moment of pause.
Kessler said projects like this often have the most immediate impact in smaller communities.
“You see the benefits of a trail system almost immediately,” he said.
Health, connection and identity
Speakers repeatedly returned to the broader significance of the trail system, particularly its role in public health and community connection.
Funded through a grant aimed at addressing diabetes and promoting physical activity, the trails are intended to provide accessible outdoor exercise opportunities for residents of all ages.
Dalton framed the project as part of Red Bank’s evolution from a so-called “bedroom community” into a place where residents can live, work and recreate locally.
The trail system also connects to nearby schools, health care facilities and community programs, expanding access for students, educators and older adults.
David Johnson of the Trust for Public Land emphasized the social dimension of such spaces.
“Spaces like this bring people together,” he said. “They provide us an opportunity to meet each other, take a break and decompress.”
Building a lasting outdoor asset
City leaders and partners expressed optimism that the Godsey Ridge Trail System will become a regional destination, not just for Red Bank residents, but for visitors across the Chattanooga area.
“Our hope is that the Godsey Ridge Trail System will act as a central outdoor hiking and biking amenity for generations to come,” Dalton said.
Maintenance and programming partnerships with SORBA Chattanooga and the White Oak Bike Co-op are expected to help sustain that vision, ensuring the trails remain accessible, safe and well-used.
The park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., offering a new outdoor option in a city that, until now, lacked a dedicated trail system within its limits.
For many in attendance, the ribbon cutting was a tangible sign of progress – a long-held idea finally realized in dirt, gravel and winding paths through the woods.
Dalton summed it up with a phrase printed on her shirt and echoed in her remarks: “Leave it better than you found it.”