Rifle Pits Trail
0.64-mile out-and-back hike in Tennessee with 360 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 0.6 mi
- round trip
- 705 ft
- climb
- 1,580 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Is Rifle Pits Trail open right now?
Alert in the area
The National Park Service lists an alert for Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
Use Caution When Hiking Bluff Trail on Lookout Mountain
Park alert covering Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park · NPS · Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
As of · Source: NPS · Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Rifle Pits Trail
Best months: March–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
46° / 29°
11 wet
Feb
49° / 31°
11 wet
Mar
58° / 39°
11 wet
Apr
68° / 47°
11 wet
May
74° / 57°
11 wet
Jun
81° / 65°
11 wet
Jul
84° / 67°
11 wet
Aug
82° / 67°
10 wet
Sep
78° / 61°
8 wet
Oct
67° / 51°
9 wet
Nov
57° / 40°
9 wet
Dec
48° / 32°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lookout Mtn-Point Park, TN, 0.3 mi away at 2,110 ft. The station sits about 500 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Rifle Pits Trail is a short, easy hike in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in Tennessee, managed by the National Park Service. The trail is about 0.6 miles long and rises roughly 220 feet from a starting point near 1,567 feet to a high of about 1,580 feet. The route is an out-and-back, and the steepest stretch comes about halfway through, with a grade of about 20%. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show October highs around 67°F with lows near 51°F, and May highs around 74°F. That station sits about 530 feet higher than the trail, so temperatures on the trail run a little warmer. Several other trails start close by, including Mountain Beautiful Trail and Upper Truck Trail, each about 0.2 miles away, and Hardy Trail at about 0.3 miles. Climbers can find Siri and Buena Vista within about 0.7 miles.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Upper Truck Trail
~0 min drive
0.46-mile out-and-back hike in Tennessee with 150 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: Roman Eugeniusz, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Whiteside Trail
~1 min drive
0.60-mile out-and-back hike in Tennessee with 546 ft elevation gain.
Gum Spring Trail
~2 min drive
0.57-mile out-and-back hike in Tennessee with 325 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Roman Eugeniusz, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Bluff Trail
~1 min drive
0.52-mile out-and-back hike in Tennessee with 449 ft gain
Photo: Teke, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Blue Blazes Trail
~3 min drive
1.53-mile loop trail in Tennessee with 176 ft elevation gain/loss.
Mountain Beautiful Trail
~0 min drive
1.38-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee with 2,800 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Teke, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Browns Ferry Federal Road Trace
~6 min drive
0.62-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee with 43 ft gain and 130 ft loss.
Hardy Trail
~1 min drive
1.24-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee with 2,276 ft gain and 2,063 ft loss
Point Park Trails
~0 min drive
0.94-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee with 94 ft elevation gain.
Decomissioned Old Wauhatchie Pike (now a Trail)
~1 min drive
1.08-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee with 1,201 ft elevation gain
