The John Culpepper Chickamauga Battlefield Connector Trail is a new 2.2-mile multi-use path, named for Chickamauga’s longtime former City Manager. It links the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park to downtown Chickamauga. 

The trail begins at the Wilder Road entrance/exit to the Chickamauga Battlefield, travels under Highway 27, up Osborn Street and then runs parallel to Osborn Road until reaching the county/city line. The trail then crosses Osborn Road into the city of Chickamauga and goes for another mile until reaching the downtown. 

The Battlefield Connector Trail provides a safe, scenic route for pedestrians and cyclists, connecting one of the nation’s most visited Civil War sites to Chickamauga’s historic downtown business district. The trail retraces portions of the old Dry Valley Road, where Union soldiers once marched from Mountain Cove through Crawfish Springs, and passes near the Gordon-Lee House, which served as a field hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers following the Battle of Chickamauga.

The trail officially opened May 2026.