For a lover of the outdoors winter can be a boring season. Many outdoor places are better in the summer, fall or spring, but opportunities to enjoy the outdoors are limited in the winter. However, one of my favorite hidden places near Chattanooga is just as beautiful and exciting in the winter as in the other seasons.
Lula Lake seemed like the perfect place to write about first, because it's quite possibly my favorite place near Chattanooga. And I love visiting it in the winter just as much as in the summer! Lula Lake is a private land trust atop Lookout Mountain that's part of the Rock Creek Watershed. It's open to the public on the first and last Saturday of each month. My first visit to Lula was actually in the winter, and I fell in love with it immediately. I've since visited Lula in every season and it's just as beautiful every time.
Lula contains many pretty and fairly easy trails, but there are 2 main attractions.
The first is a lake with a small waterfall pouring into it (hence the name "Lula Lake") It's gorgeous in the winter because something gives the lake a greenish tint and there's often icicles hanging from the cliffs surrounding the lake.
The second attraction is the Lula Lake waterfall.
There are several different ways to view the around 80 ft. waterfall. You can walk down the riverbed to the top of the waterfall and stand on the rocks next to it looking down. You can view it from the main trail (looking at it from the side). You can climb up a large boulder and view it straight on (this is my favorite view). Finally, you can hike down to the bottom of the waterfall and actually go behind it.
One of my all time favorite visits to Lula Lake was last winter when the temperature had stayed below freezing for days. Cabin fever was starting to set in, so we planned a trip to Lula (despite the temperature still being below freezing). I did not anticipate just how amazing the waterfall would be. The continuous below freezing temperatures had caused the waterfall to almost entirely freeze over. And it had turned the part below the waterfall (where the water hits the ground) into a icy wonderland. To make it to the actual waterfall we had to crawl over 30+ feet of ice, which was quite a task. Once we made it to the falls, we were able to walk behind it and look out. Surrounded by ice, we felt like we were in an ice cave in the Arctic somewhere. And the way that the light interacts with ice is amazing.
I'll be the first to admit I HATE winter, but this experience made me almost like it. And it certainly reminded me that there's beauty in every season. Of course, I also enjoy going back to Lula in the spring when it's warm and all the ice starts melting.
Lula will always be a special to me. It's such a gorgeous, peaceful place and amazing that we have a magnificent waterfall around 15 minutes from home.
If you're interested in knowing more or visiting Lula Lake, here's a link to their website: lulalake.org
Lula Lake seemed like the perfect place to write about first, because it's quite possibly my favorite place near Chattanooga. And I love visiting it in the winter just as much as in the summer! Lula Lake is a private land trust atop Lookout Mountain that's part of the Rock Creek Watershed. It's open to the public on the first and last Saturday of each month. My first visit to Lula was actually in the winter, and I fell in love with it immediately. I've since visited Lula in every season and it's just as beautiful every time.
Lula contains many pretty and fairly easy trails, but there are 2 main attractions.
The first is a lake with a small waterfall pouring into it (hence the name "Lula Lake") It's gorgeous in the winter because something gives the lake a greenish tint and there's often icicles hanging from the cliffs surrounding the lake.
The second attraction is the Lula Lake waterfall.There are several different ways to view the around 80 ft. waterfall. You can walk down the riverbed to the top of the waterfall and stand on the rocks next to it looking down. You can view it from the main trail (looking at it from the side). You can climb up a large boulder and view it straight on (this is my favorite view). Finally, you can hike down to the bottom of the waterfall and actually go behind it.
One of my all time favorite visits to Lula Lake was last winter when the temperature had stayed below freezing for days. Cabin fever was starting to set in, so we planned a trip to Lula (despite the temperature still being below freezing). I did not anticipate just how amazing the waterfall would be. The continuous below freezing temperatures had caused the waterfall to almost entirely freeze over. And it had turned the part below the waterfall (where the water hits the ground) into a icy wonderland. To make it to the actual waterfall we had to crawl over 30+ feet of ice, which was quite a task. Once we made it to the falls, we were able to walk behind it and look out. Surrounded by ice, we felt like we were in an ice cave in the Arctic somewhere. And the way that the light interacts with ice is amazing.
I'll be the first to admit I HATE winter, but this experience made me almost like it. And it certainly reminded me that there's beauty in every season. Of course, I also enjoy going back to Lula in the spring when it's warm and all the ice starts melting.Lula will always be a special to me. It's such a gorgeous, peaceful place and amazing that we have a magnificent waterfall around 15 minutes from home.
If you're interested in knowing more or visiting Lula Lake, here's a link to their website: lulalake.org
