Sunset Rock/A Historical Landmark

When you live at the base of the westward facing slope of Lookout Mountain Sunset Rock is always bearing down on you.  If you have never been there it’s one of my favorite vantage points for viewing Reflection Riding as well as downtown Chattanooga.

Hikers enjoy a recent sunset.

There are plenty of ways to get there.  For the more adventuresome souls, you can begin here at Reflection Riding and use one of our maps to make your way up. It’s a tangled web of trails and old forest roads and takes the average hiker a little over an hour to reach the top.  

When I first became caretaker here at Reflection Riding one of my exercise routines was to walk/jog up Lookout Mountain timing myself each time to the summit.  I’m hardly a trail runner, but I was able to shave 5 minutes off my first attempt and have gotten it down to a respectable 32 minutes.  A self prescribed stress test.  No deductible or copay required. 

Sunset Rock has always been a natural landmark but during the civil war soldiers used it as a vantage point for communication.  A soldier could signal from what is now Candy Flats here at Reflection Riding to another soldier perched atop Sunset Rock.  A horseman would then ride with the decoded message to what is now Point Park where the Battle Above the Clouds was being fought.  It was November of 1863.  Flags were used to signal soldiers during the daylight hours and torches were used at night.  I’ve posted a photo of a civil war reenactor illustrating this technique here on the property last year during the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Lookout Mountain.

A Civil War reenactor signals toward Sunset Rock

I often patrol the property after hours and I always carry a flashlight for security if needed.  Lots of “wildlife” to monitor here at Reflection Riding.  My flashlight is advertised as tactical, holster included, for obvious reasons.  Some might say the brightness could stop a train. 

So, on occasion I too have signaled towards Sunset Rock.  With a series of quick flashes, I’m often able to attract the attention of late night hikers or couples lingering in the romantic twilight.  Oftentimes the signal is repeated back towards me as if we were communicating in morse code.  

I see you. Do you see me?  No special decoding required. 

View of Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
from Sunset Rock.