Where to Stay
Where to Stay Near Chattanooga Without Paying Downtown Prices
Cabins on Nickajack Lake, chain hotels at the Kimball I-24 exit and a campground at the Foster Falls trailhead, all 20 to 45 minutes west of Chattanooga.
The default move for a Chattanooga trip is a hotel on the Southside and a parking fee. It works. It is also the most expensive way to do it, and it puts you on the wrong side of the city from most of the outdoors you probably came for.
Marion County starts about twenty minutes west, on Nickajack Lake and under the Cumberland Plateau. The waterfalls, the gorge trails and the bat cave are here, and the lodging tends to cost less. Here is how to choose.
Quick picks
- Want a view and quiet: A lakefront or bluff cabin around Nickajack Lake
- Want cheap and simple: The chain hotels at the Kimball I-24 interchange
- Want to wake up at a trailhead: The campground at Foster Falls
- Traveling with a group: A whole-house rental, which is far better value than three hotel rooms
- Drive to downtown Chattanooga: About 15 to 20 minutes from Jasper or Kimball
- Book early for: Late April (Cornbread Festival), October weekends, and any summer Saturday
Cabins and vacation rentals
This is the reason to stay out here and not in town. Marion County has a good spread of independent rentals, including lakefront places with private docks, small A-frames on the bluff, cabins on the Sequatchie River, and a few off-grid places for people who want the phone to stop working.
Out here you get water access, a fire pit, room for a group, and morning quiet. You give up walking to dinner. Plan on driving, and check the restaurant list before you arrive, because small-town kitchens close earlier than you expect.
The cabin in the photo at the top of this page is Views Forever at Lakefront CrossCreek Cabins in Whitwell.
Browse cabins and vacation rentals
Rough guide to the areas
- Nickajack Lake: Water access, docks, the best sunsets. Closest to the bat cave and Hales Bar.
- Jasper and Kimball: Most central. Most of the county is inside 25 minutes, plus the interstate for the run into Chattanooga.
- Monteagle and the plateau edge: Cooler in summer, and closest to Foster Falls and the Fiery Gizzard Trail. Monteagle straddles the county line.
- South Pittsburg: Small-town main street, cast iron museum, river.
Hotels off I-24
If the trip is really about Chattanooga and you want a clean, cheap, predictable base, the cluster of chain hotels at the Kimball interchange does the job. You are five minutes from the interstate and about twenty from downtown, and you typically pay less than for a comparable room in the city. Hotels in the Kimball and South Pittsburg area include the Holiday Inn Express, Clarion Pointe Kimball, Red Roof Inn Kimball and Hampton Inn.
Around Monteagle there are a few independent and lodge-style options for people who would rather not stay beside an off-ramp, such as The Smokehouse Lodge & Cabins and the Monteagle Inn & Retreat Center.
Camping
There are two very different ways to camp here.
Foster Falls Campground is a small state park campground with 25 sites, right at the trailhead for the waterfall and the southern end of the Fiery Gizzard Trail. It is in Fiery Gizzard State Park. Being there at 7am, before the parking lot fills, is the best argument for camping in this county. Reservations are required, so book early for summer and October weekends at reserve.tnstateparks.com.
Shellmound Recreation Area on Nickajack Lake is the water-based alternative. It is flat and shaded, with a boat ramp and easy shoreline, and it suits families, fishing and anyone towing something. Shellmound does not take reservations. Sites are first come, first served.
What you can reach from a base here
Almost everything worth doing sits inside a twenty-five minute triangle between Jasper, Kimball and South Pittsburg.
- The Nickajack bat emergence is free, at sunset, and about 15 minutes from most lake rentals.
- Foster Falls, a 60-foot waterfall with a swimming hole, is about 10 minutes from Jasper.
- Hales Bar Dam, with ghost tours and a marina, is about 20 minutes.
- Lodge Cast Iron and downtown South Pittsburg are about 15 minutes.
- Downtown Chattanooga is 15 to 20 minutes when you want the city.
When to book
- Late April. The National Cornbread Festival fills the county. Book months out.
- October. Fall color on the plateau plus ghost-tour season at Hales Bar. The busiest month for cabins.
- Summer Saturdays. Lake rentals go first. Midweek in July is surprisingly open.
- Winter. Quietest and cheapest. The gorge is stark, and you will have the trails to yourself.
Make it a weekend
Stay nearby
Where to stay
- Cabins and vacation rentalsTreehouses, cabins and lake houses across the county
- Camping and RV parksNineteen campgrounds, from full hookups to hike-in sites
- HotelsAt the Kimball and Monteagle exits on I-24
Where to eat
Plan the trip
- Weekend trip plansThree ready-made weekends
Common questions
Is it cheaper to stay outside downtown Chattanooga?
Generally yes. Hotels at the Kimball I-24 interchange and cabins around Nickajack Lake in Marion County typically run below comparable downtown Chattanooga rates, and you are still 15 to 20 minutes from the riverfront.
How far is Marion County from downtown Chattanooga?
About 15 to 20 minutes west via I-24 from the Jasper and Kimball exits.
Where can you stay on the water near Chattanooga?
Nickajack Lake in Marion County has lakefront vacation rentals with private docks, the Hales Bar Marina resort, and camping at Shellmound Recreation Area.
Can you camp at Foster Falls?
Yes. Foster Falls Campground has 25 sites at the trailhead in Fiery Gizzard State Park. Reservations are required.
When does lodging book up?
Late April for the National Cornbread Festival, October weekends for fall color and ghost tours, and summer Saturdays for lake rentals.
Do you need a car?
Yes. This is a rural county and attractions are spread across a 25-minute radius. There is no practical public transport between them.