Edwards Point

The Point

Edwards Point is a scenic overlook on the bluff of Signal Mountain that sits off the Cumberland Trail. The viewshed includes downtown Chattanooga, Middle Creek, and Williams Island to the east. To the west is the heart of the Tennessee River Gorge (pictured above).

The overlook offers incredible sunrises, great views of the astounding Tennessee River Gorge cloud inversion, and a unique viewshed containing metropolitan Chattanooga and the wild River Gorge. For a map of Edwards Point, please scroll down.

Access to Edwards Point

Edwards Point is located on the Cumberland Trail and can be reached by multiple trailheads. The Rainbow Lake trailhead on Signal Mountain offers a 3.8-mile total out and back hike to reach the point and brings hikers through the scenic Middle Creek. Another out and back option, 5.1 miles total, can be done by starting at the Signal Point trailhead on National Military Park property on Signal Mountain.

For the those wanting a long distance excursion, hikers can reach the point from other Cumberland Trailheads at the Signal Mountain High School or Suck Creek Road.

Protecting Edwards Point

The Tennessee River Gorge Trust is excited to announce that we purchased 32 acres containing the iconic area known as Edwards Point in 2021. Edwards Point was a gap in an extensive conservation landscape of protected properties. With this land acquisition, TRGT along with the Prentice Cooper State Forest and the Town of Signal Mountain now protect an area that spans miles from Middle Creek and Signal Point to Suck Creek. The benefits of this recent purchase are far reaching. The Cumberland Trail, which travels right past Edwards Point, now has secure and permanent public access to the area. An array of ephemeral pools used by amphibian and reptile species can now be managed through informed science-based stewardship. The list goes on, but above all else, we are grateful and proud to say that this open space will remain in its wild state for generations to come.