In summer, waders such as herons and egrets and perhaps a white ibis may be found. The levee is home to many species of songbirds by season and ducks in the winter. Such neotropical migrants as common yellowthroats and orchard orioles breed in the area and various sparrows abound in the fall and winter. The Brainerd levee is one of the most important stopover areas in eastern Tennessee for shorebirds migrating between Canada and South America, with at least 23 species observed here. Take I-75 N to exit 4, Highway 153.
Parking lot is at the corner.
The Tennessee Riverpark stretches 1.65 miles along the east side of the river below Chickamauga Dam. It features playgrounds, picnic areas and fishing piers, along with a paved Riverwalk for walking, bicycling, or rollerblading. Peregrine falcons have nested on the railroad bridge in both 1997 and 1998, only the second nesting of this species in Tennessee in 50 years. They may be seen on the railroad towers or on wires over the water. On the way to the dam, a fenced-in beaver pond can be viewed at a distance.