Covenant View Camp and Retreat Invites You To Rest And Reconnect Beneath The Stars

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

The idea of starting a campground came to Robby and Tina McNabb after several realizations. First, the couple found that they return from vacations more exhausted and depleted than before they left. Second, they realized that they had the gift of peaceful, calming land that others might enjoy. Third, they had all the skills necessary to start the campground, so Covenant View Camp and Retreat came into being this spring.

In Tina’s words, “We were thinking about how we could offer families a place to have conversation, to breath, a place where they can take in nature without the noise of the world getting in the way, somewhere children can experience simplicity and feel a part of something much greater than the overstimulation of an amusement park, and some place where you can hear God speaking.”

The McNabbs purchased property on the north of Dade County over three years ago with a plan to build vacation rentals, but, as Robby said, “It was like God gave us this other idea.” Their land is a beautiful piece of Dade County with a view of Lookout Mountain and Covenant College. The couple likes instilling an appreciation for this beauty and for nature in their grandkids.

Robby said, “We’ve had camp nights with our grandkids out here, and we realized other people would like to do this too. The name Covenant View is about seeing God’s creation and promises. The fact that you can see Covenant College and its prayer tower clearly from here gives all the more meaning to the name.”

The McNabbs had all the necessary pieces to start a campground: Robby’s background working at Racoon Mountain in the late 1980s giving cave tours, Tina’s years managing Lookout Mountain Flight Park’s vacation rentals, Robby’s work as a construction superintendent, their joint experience flipping houses, and their mutual love of God’s creation.

They started building their home that now doubles as the campground office and set to work opening the campsite this spring. With RV sites, an RV rental, yurts, and tent and hammock sites, the campground offers something for every level of camper.

It’s still a work in progress; for example, the bathhouse is still to come, so guests are making do with portable toilets and outdoor showers. The Alliance for Dade is hosting a ribbon cutting on May 1 (the official grand opening of Covenant View), but the McNabbs have already hosted guests from South Dakota, Florida, Atlanta, and Memphis.

Adventurous guests can cross the creek to get to Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center’s trails. From there, hikers can access all of the trails on Lookout Mountain, all the way back down to Sitton’s Gulch or all the way to Chattanooga’s Riverwalk. Being accustomed to flatter land, the Memphis group wanted to experience hills, so they hiked from Reflection Riding to Sunset Rock and back.

The McNabbs said, “They came back and said it was really intense, it was a good workout, and they felt good and tired. There’s a difference between being stressed out tired and good tired. It made us feel good that they got to feel that.”

Covenant View’s primitive sites are Deer Run Flats (along the creek, $30/night) and Wildwood Forest (along the ridges and forest, the best hammock camping site, $25/night).

The canvas yurts make up Barred Owl Village. They sleep four adults (and potentially more kids), and the McNabb’s offer air mattress and sleeping bag rentals to make camping even more convenient. The yurts are starting at $50/night, and the 28-foot RV sits nearby at Big Oak Camp Site for $100/night.

The RV sleeps six. Robby said, “We thought grandparents might want to come and stay in the RV while the kids and grandkids stay in the yurts, and the whole family can have that entire area.” Tina also plans to market Barred Owl Village and Big Oak to youth groups.

Lastly, Whispering Pines (the RV-hook up area) is coming soon.

The McNabbs are especially eager to offer families a connecting, grounding experience. Tina said, “The world is noisy. We see every day how our children are being pulled deeper into the digital world and further away from the natural world. Everything’s about Airbnb cabins and all-inclusive resorts, but we want to encourage the experience of pitching a tent with your mom and dad, sleeping under the stars and among the trees, and building a campfire.”

Robby added, “In our most difficult times in life, we’ve found that we get re-grounded after spending time in nature. There aren’t too many places where you can camp in a convenient manner.”

With a Dollar general just a mile away and Chattanooga attractions right around the corner, Covenant View is very convenient, but it feels like you’re miles away from the busyness of life. The campground is located on Willard Lane off of Belk Road, so there are miles of country roads around for walking and biking. The McNabb’s grandkids enjoy biking the short mile to Rosie Mae’s Alpaca Farm.

The McNabbs want to keep prices affordable because they know how costly many attractions and vacations can be. They thought about adding more amenities, like a hot tub and Wi-Fi, but as Robby said, “Then you might as well rent a hotel room. We think people want it to be affordable, and our biggest amenity is a quiet night in nature.”

The campground is alive with wildlife and history. Before the McNabbs made this their home, herds of white-tailed deer, nesting barred owls, cooper’s hawks, and red-tailed hawks made it their home along with “every other little critter you can think of,” said Tina. “It’s almost like its own little animal sanctuary here. We want to share that with people.”

Tina volunteers with Wings to Soar, a nonprofit that cares for non-releasable birds of prey, and she is planning to bring Wings to Soar birds to the campground for presentations to campers.

As for history, Robby is full of local lore that he’s collected over the years. In a previous lifetime, the McNabb’s land was the site of a Native American village of the Creek tribe. Then, in 1814, Cherokee Chief Wauhatchie made a homesite on the property. Wauhatchie was forced out on the Trail of Tears, but Robby said, “When he got to Oklahoma, he walked all the way back and brought this property back.”

The land also has rifle pits from the Civil War’s Battle of Chattanooga.

To anyone who thinks they wouldn’t enjoy camping but hasn’t tried it, Tina said, “You don’t know til you try. Start with one night.” The RV rental and yurts are intended to make it easier for first-time campers to step outside of their comfort zone.

Also, for this first year, Robby invites people who are unsure about camping to come enjoy a picnic, relax for a couple of hours, and check out the land. You just might find that you need to spend a night or two to fully soak in the setting.

Tina said, “People need to decompress. Our world is so stressful, life is so stressful,” and Robby added, “but camping is therapy. Being in nature allows for feelings of clarity and thought that you just can’t get anywhere else. Being able to provide a place where people can do that, whatever they’ve got going on in their life—it’s a privilege to be able to share that with people.”