Bike-N-Hike: Historic Fourth Ward Park and Deepdene Park, October 8, 2016
Stats
17.2 miles by bike
6.1 miles on foot
25,798 steps according to the Health app
Biking There
West Midtown to Irwin Street
Map from Runkeeper
I took 10th Street and the Eastside BeltLine trail to get to Irwin Street to get some brunch. (I later biked back up the BeltLine to reach the park. Unfortunately the section of the 10th Street cycletrack that is adjacent to Piedmont Park was closed because of the Atlanta Pride Festival. I believe that the cycletrack is allowed to be used as a loading zone for setting up and breaking down major festivals. With the cycletrack partially closed, I chose to walk my bike on the sidewalk (mostly because I was hoping it would be open again farther down, but it wasn't.)
Ride there:
Distance: 5.1 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Traffic: Very little
Historic Fourth Ward Park
I was in Historic Fourth Ward Park for the Ecology of the Urban Forest: Historic Fourth Ward Park Walking Tour by Trees Atlanta. As well as learning about trees and shrubs (this was a Trees Atlanta talk, after all), we also were taught a lot about the park's history and the history of the surrounding area.
“This is a great park! Why did they put it in a hole?" is a question BeltLine landscape architect Kevin Burke says people often ask about Historic Fourth Ward Park. The reality is that the park is a great example of “green infrastructure", preventing adjacent neighborhoods from flooding while also providing a place for nature, fitness, and events. Clear Creek (that's the one in Piedmont Park) used to run here, but long ago was put underground in Atlanta's sewer system that combines former creeks with runoff and sewage. There was a proposal to put in a huge pipe here to prevent flooding, but instead this park was proposed and the EPA accepted it. The addition of the park didn't require the neighborhood to be torn up like the construction of a pipe would have.
I recommend checking out both Historic Fourth Ward Park and Trees Atlanta's events. Historic Fourth Ward Park is accessible via the BeltLine, south of North Avenue.
Biking Between
Biking from Historic Fourth Ward Park to Deepdene Park
Map from Runkeeper
I hopped on the Stone Mountain PATH via an overpass and took it to S Ponce De Leon Ave which I followed until I reached Deepdene Park.
Ride there:
Distance: 3.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate, a few hills in Piedmont Park
Traffic: Almost completely along PATH trail, so no car traffic
Deepdene Park
There weren't a lot of people in Deepdene Park this Saturday afternoon. I took my time taking some photos for this site and just relaxing and enjoying the trees and other nature.
Biking from Deepdene Park to West Midtown
Map from Runkeeper
On my ride back, I decided to avoid Midtown because of the Pride Festival and take the PATH trail back to the new cycletrack on John Portman Blvd. I had only ridden a block or so of the cycletrack, so I figured I'd try it out.
The transition from the multi-use PATH trail to the cycletrack was pretty straightforward and well-marked and easy to follow. John Portman is a very steep street, making it an odd choice for the cycletrack, but then again, several of the other east-west streets are just as steep. I took the cycletrack to Ted Turner and then took Ted Turner/Spring/West Peachtree back to Midtown. There was a lot of traffic downtown that I avoided via the cycletrack and then a good bit of traffic on Ted Turner with cars waiting to get on the connector. Past the connector, there was no traffic on the ride home.
Ride there:
Distance: 7.3 miles
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Traffic: Fortunately little downtown traffic