Save Enterprise South Nature Park

10/11/2026

Over the weekend, we were SO honored to accept the award for Citizen Engagement at the Chattanooga NAACP’s annual Ruby Hurley Image Awards Gala. The date on this award marks ✨exactly✨one year since we started the petition to save Enterprise South Nature Park. Our goal last October was to stop a damaging land swap that would have sliced off hundreds of protected acres of the park for industrial development, including the area where historic Old Summit Cemetery sits with hundreds of unmarked graves. “Keep public lands in public hands” was the motto we adopted and still stick to.

The land at ESNP has already been taken from people. It is the very least we can do to make sure it stays in the hands of the people now. So thank you to ALL THE PEOPLE who helped make sure it remains—all the hands who touched this work. Thank you Jared Story for all your work uncovering the past of Old Summit Cemetery. Thank you to Unity Group for their partnership early on. And thank you to this amazing team of people who didn’t even know each other last year. Common cause brings us together in action and spirit. 💚

Congratulations to all of the award recipients for their good work in our community. The work continues!

As we transition to a friend of the park model, Save ESNP remains a sentinel and advocate for the park, the land, and the people.

A few items on our list:
1. Advocating for Old Summit Cemetery to be out-parceled for public access, acknowledged as an historic landmark, and restored

2. Ensuring the former Boy Scouts property bordering the park is rezoned from Heavy Industrial to protected green space

3. Helping facilitate a biological baseline of the land to highlight important species and habitat

4. Continuing and enhancing our community and kids’ programming at the park

Learn more and become a member at SaveESNP.org

10/10/2026

Our Rosy Maple Moth Little Ambassadors came out last night dressed in their Halloween best! We love our park and we love our community. Reminder that due to bad weather THE EVENT IN CANCELED 🚫tonight. But we sure had fun last night. Thank you for being adorable little ambassadors!

10/10/2026

Hope everyone enjoyed the Halloween Trail Fest tonight! Heartbreaking to cancel night two 💔 Stay safe!

Halloween Trail Fest Canceled Saturday; Enterprise South Opening Delayed Sunday
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. — Hamilton County Parks & Recreation is coordinating with the Office of Emergency Management, the National Weather Service and local meteorologists to prepare for potential impacts from Hurricane Isaias.
Halloween Trail Fest is canceled Saturday, October 10. Enterprise South Nature Park will open on a two-hour delay Sunday, October 11, allowing staff to assess conditions and address potential hazards, including fallen trees, debris and blocked trails. While conditions may improve throughout the day, the department is taking a cautious approach with public safety as its top priority. Additional closures may be necessary based on conditions.
“Halloween Trail Fest is a cherished fall break tradition, and our Enterprise South team has invested tremendous time and creativity into this experience,” said Allison Harr, Superintendent of Enterprise South Nature Park. “We share our community’s disappointment; however public safety is our top priority.”
Visitors are asked to respect the delayed opening and check the Hamilton County Parks & Recreation’s official channels for updates including the Enterprise South Nature Park official Page.

10/06/2026

Another Rosy Maple Moth Ramble in the books. We tried on acorn hats, screamed at cobwebs, crunched on leaves, and did a sneak peek of this weekend’s Halloween Haunted trails! 👻🎃We can’t wait to see everyone’s costumes this Friday and Saturday!

10/03/2026

Take some time to watch out for the turtles this morning! They are out washing off the hot, dry summer. 🐢 🌧️

09/30/2026

Looking forward to it! 👻🎃

Save Enterprise South Nature Park

09/27/2026

Bright and early yesterday morning, more than 50 birders and nature lovers joined us for our fall migration bird walk. We had a great mix of experienced birders and folks who were brand new to birding, making it a fun morning for everyone. Thank you to all who got up e/arly and came out to (finally) experience some crisp fall weather.

With 2,800 acres of connected forest, wetlands, and open spaces, Enterprise South Nature Park is an important corridor for migrating birds and provides year-round habitat for resident species. The morning was a wonderful reminder of just how much birdlife depends on these protected areas.

Our group spotted an impressive variety of species, including Chestnut-sided, Hooded, Magnolia, Canada, and Black-and-white Warblers, an American Redstart, Yellow-throated Vireos, a Least Flycatcher, a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, and several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. We also watched 39 Broad-winged Hawks swirling together in a migration kettle catching thermals, along with a Swallow-tailed Kite booking it solo at lower altitude.

For those new to birding, it was a great introduction to birding. We also talked about birding etiquette and how to enjoy these places responsibly, helping ensure that birds and other wildlife can use the park with as little disturbance as possible.

A special thank you to The Chattanooga chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society especially Kent Pennington for leading the walk and sharing his incredible knowledge and techniques. We’re also grateful to the many TOS members who joined us, shared their spotting skills and expertise, and loaned out so many pairs of binoculars so that novice birders could get a closer look at the morning’s visitors.

Last but certainly not least, thank you to Wired Coffee Bar for sponsoring the walk and keeping everyone caffeinated on this early fall morning.

We’re grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate the incredible bird habitat at Enterprise South. We are so blessed to have a community that cares so much about ESNP. We hope to see you in the park soon! Hamilton County Tennessee Parks and Recreation Department

Photos by Hadrien Turner, Elspeth Haire, Nathan Griffin, Rhonda Dodds and Mark Pistrang.

09/24/2026

Only ONE MORE DAY (through 9/25) to sign your business or organization up to table at Too Cute to Spook Enterprise South Nature Park! Attend one or both nights, connect with thousands of community members, hand out candy, make kids smile. A win-win-win-win.

🎃👻 SEEKING LOCAL BUSINESSES! 👻🎃

Enterprise South Nature Park is looking for local businesses and organizations to join us for the 2026 Too Cute to Spook Trick-or-Treat Trail! 🍬🎃

As part of Halloween Trail Fest, we’re inviting businesses, organizations, community groups, and local partners to help make this family-friendly event a night to remember!

📅 Friday, October 9 & Saturday, October 10
⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Enterprise South Nature Park

🍬 Pass out candy and treats
👻 Decorate a spooky station
🎃 Connect with local families
🌟 Showcase your business or organization

This is a great opportunity to get your business in front of the community while helping provide a fun, safe, and memorable Halloween experience for local families.

🕷️ Ready to join us?
We’d love to have you as part of the Too Cute to Spook Trick-or-Treat Trail!

Register here: https://parks.hamiltontn.gov/FormCenter/Halloween-Trail-Fest-12/Too-Cute-To-Spook-BusinessOrganization-A-87