STRINGER'S RIDGE

Stringer's Ridge is 92 acres of hardwood forest on the North Shore, close enough to downtown Chattanooga that you can be running ten minutes after you park. The ridge goes up in short pitches instead of one long grind, and the canopy stays overhead nearly the whole way, which is why people keep running here in August.

Cherokee and Strut link into a 2.5-mile loop with 278 feet of climbing. Swing onto the Blue Trail and you're at 3.7 miles and 531 feet. There are seven miles of trail across the park, so the loop you ran last week extends easily into a longer one. Head out toward the overlook at least once — it opens straight down the Tennessee River with the city sitting on the far bank.

The park is open sunrise to sunset. Spears Avenue is the main trailhead and has the most parking, plus restrooms, a bike repair station and a pump track. High Ridge Drive, Bell Avenue and Mason Drive all drop onto the same network from other sides of the ridge if Spears is full.

Dogs are welcome. So are mountain bikers, and the park runs a directional schedule that alternates by day to keep everyone apart. The trails are steep with limited sightlines. Bikes are supposed to yield to runners, and on a blind descent you want to be listening for them anyway.