Sterchi Farm

Chattanooga | Tennessee

What We’re Doing
Modernizing a 25-acre former farm for public use while respecting its legacy.

Our Goal
Work alongside renowned architects, local government, and organization partners to design and execute a long-term vision for the farm.

Support Our Work in Tennessee

Two people stand up paddle boarding in a river.

Sterchi Farm by the Numbers

acre farm

miles of trails

The Sterchi Farm Story

On the east side of Chattanooga, a 12-mile trail weaves along a tributary of the Tennessee River. Along the way, a key trailhead and pit stop is Sterchi Farm, a former working dairy farm sprawling 25 acres in an otherwise urban area. The land was acquired in 2006 alongside the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway, with hopes of improving the land down the line. In 2016, Trust for Public Land began helping develop and execute that long-term vision.

TPL worked with WMWA Landscape Architects to imagine a better Sterchi Farm with support from the Benwood and Lyndhurst foundations, as well as community partners and the City of Chattanooga. The first element of this vision was completed in 2018, with the installation of a sculptural, nature-based adventure trail for children called Clamber Scramble Traverse and designed by the environmental artist Adam Kuby. The most recent improvements to this park also include upgraded access to the canoe launch, improved protection for the historic rubble rock barn silo, and a natural amphitheater and lawn.

As time goes on, Sterchi Farm will continue to improve through other aspects of the long-term vision. Thanks to TPL, these 25 acres are already in better shape than ever for locals and visitors alike in Chattanooga.

About This Project

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Chattanooga Bridges the Greenway Gap

At a community celebration in 2016, Chattanoogans turned out to mark the marriage of the greenways with a 5K race and a stand-up paddleboard social—as well as a bike parade, bluegrass, and dancing. “It’s been 20 years in the making,” said Rick Wood, then Trust for Public Land’s Tennessee state director. “Now there’s true connectivity into neighborhoods. This is a big deal.”

Longtime resident Walter Hodges, who lives adjacent to the new trail segment, agrees. Before, if he wanted to use the Riverwalk, he had to drive to it. Now, he’s among the 25,000 people who live within a 10-minute walk of the South Chickamauga Greenway—so he can get there on foot or by bicycle.

Car-free? Photo credit: Mark Gilliland

“My family can now ride from our home near Sterchi Farm to the downtown area, staying on the greenway entirely and avoiding congested roadways,” says Hodges. “This new section is a tremendous asset to our neighborhood and the broader community. The connectivity among urban, suburban, and natural outdoor spaces is truly remarkable.”

The latest addition leaves just 3 miles left to go in the full South Chickamauga Greenway. When it’s complete, Chattanoogans and visitors will enjoy a 23-mile car-free corridor linking the city proper with outlying neighborhoods and open space as far south as the 200-acre park at Camp Jordan. That means a world of options for outdoor recreation: walking, running, biking—even paddling on the creek from one of the greenway’s four canoe launches.

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Tomorrow's Parks Today

We asked readers to describe their ideal “park of the future.” It turns out a lot of the features on their wish lists already exist in TPL green spaces around the country. Take a tour of tomorrow’s parks, today.

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Get in Touch with Our Tennessee Team

Chattanooga Office

1810 E. Main Street
Ste. 200
Chattanooga, TN, 37404
(423) 265-5229
tennessee@tpl.org

Noel Durant

Associate Vice President, Tennessee State Director

noel.durant@tpl.org