The views were amazing and to see where history took place priceless. And I have a picture of known man they called uncle Ben in the late 1800 s so sool

If you haven’t read up on the battles of Chattanooga, from Chicamauga to Missionary Ridge, the clamber up to the top of Orchard Knob won’t mean much. But it offers a commanding view of the scene from Lookout Mtn to the west, to Missionary Ridge directly opposite. The ridge has long since been overrun by the city of Chattanooga; that can’t be helped. But standing there, looking out from Grant’s vantage point, you still get a sense of the terrain. Shelby Foote’s narrative (Vol. 2) gives a neat summation, from Braxton Bragg above to Phil Sheridan below.And it’s a great place to catch a sunset (behind Lookout Mtn).

Don't skip the Knob! This park is a hidden gem often misunderstood by the casual traveler - as the many reviews citing the 'sketchy neighborhood and 'neglect make clear. The neighborhood suffers from a litter problem due to the fact that it is between two major thoroughfares and bordered on two sides by busy connecting streets. But the neighborhood itself is relatively safe in my experience. The Knob also happens to be a rare and ecologically valuable type of space - a southern grassland remnant. This tiny park is home to more than 100 species of wildflowers, some of them rare/threatened. What visitors see as neglect is actually a prairie in recovery, as the Park Service has changed its approach to landscape management with the discovery of the botanical abundance. There's more to do - it's a slow but worthwhile process. All the monuments are maintained appropriately for visitors. Access is definitely an issue, and the natural topography makes that a tough solution. Don't skip the Knob, if you can handle the terrain - it's a peaceful oasis with excellent views, and if you take the time you'll spot some wonderful wildflowers in season.

Visited on June 13, 2020. Very easy to find but no dedicated parking for US Park Service. There is parking all along the block however. I witnessed to open gates to enter and vegetation was not mowed. Simply not an inviting place to visit.

There were three battles around Chattanooga in the fall of 1963, just a few months after the victories as Vicksburg and Gettsyburg. The south won a brief but important tactical victory at Chickamauga in September, which technically in northern Georgia, just over the state line. It is a beautiful park in its own right, and very well marked and described. There is Lookout Mountain, which is smaller, but quite nice. It is in an obviously affluent neighborhood at the top of the mountain. Note that parking is tight there and there is a $7 per person entrance fee, but the views are astounding and the park, too, is well maintained. And then there is Orchard Knob.It's only 2 miles from the center of Chattanooga. It is the sight where Ulysses Grant observed the union soldiers, on their own initiative, took Missionary Ridge against all odds. I went there with great expectations, but ended up driving around without getting out of the car, which is heartbreaking. The area seemed to have been developed 50 or more years ago and, as many others have described it, is more than a little sketchy. Missionary Ridge isn't worth seeing as it has been developed. All that has been preserved is the very top of the knob, in a square maybe 200 feet on a side. It is overgrown and unkempt. There is no dedicated parking. You can see some cool monuments as in the photo for this site, but the site is neglected and treated with nothing of the respect it deserves. Our history deserves better. Go see the other sites, which are somewhere between nice and magnificent, and leave this one for the history books until it gets the TLC it warrants.