National Public Lands Day Volunteer Event at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park

About this event

Join volunteers across the nation on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 9 am, taking part in National Public Lands Day - the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States. This year’s activities at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park will focus on battlefield restoration in removing vegetation around Bald Hill in the Cummings Bottom area of the Lookout Mountain Battlefield. Participants are asked to park in the mowed area under the power line just inside the gate on Parker Lane, Chattanooga, TN. In November 1863, Union Major General Joseph Hooker occupied Lookout Valley along the banks of Lookout Creek. This occupation of Lookout Valley will eventually lead to the Battle of Lookout Mountain. Over the last 163 years since the battle, this area has been drastically transformed. In partnership with the Lookout Mountain Greenway Alliance, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is hoping to open the area to allow easier pedestrian access by clearing away some of the overhanging limbs along trails and removing invasive plants. National Public Land’s Day participants should wear clothes they do not mind getting dirty. For safety reasons and due to the nature of the work, clothing should include long pants, long-sleeve shirts and closed-toed boots or shoes, NO open-toed shoes. Participants are asked to bring a water bottle as a water cooler will be provided. The park will provide all necessary tools and personal protective equipment, but if a participant wants to bring their own set of gloves or protective eyewear, they may do so.