Big Creek Greenway

July 24, 2021 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Address: There are many access points for the trail. The southernmost one is at Big Creek Park, at the intersection of Old Alabama and Belcourt Pkwy
Cost of admission: Free
Governance: City of Roswell, City of Alpharetta, and Forsyth County
Acres: N/A
Approximate miles of trails: About 24 miles of greenway, plus several adjacent hiking and mountain biking trails. The Alpharetta/Roswell section has 8 miles and the Forsyth County section has 16 miles
Hours: March thru October – 6:00 am to 9:30 pm, November thru February – 6:00 am to 7:00 pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 21 (southern end), 38 (northern end)
Transit directions: There are a few convenient access points. All buses depart from North Springs Station.

You can take the 140 or 141 to North Point Pkwy @Mansell Rd and walk east until you reach the greenway.
You can take the 140 or 141 to North Point Pkwy @ North Point Ct and walk south on Haynes Bridge Road to the Haynes Bridge trail spur.
You can take the 140 to North Point Pkwy @ Old Milton Pkwy or take the 185 to Old Milton Pkwy @ North Point pkwy (same intersection) and go southeast on Old Milton Pkwy. On the north side of the road, you'll see stairs leading down to the trail.

Trail surface: Mostly paved with some boardwalk, also with some natural-surface alternate routes or spurs

Amenities:

Restrooms
Water fountains
Bike rentals

Links:
Big Creek Greenway
Maps
Forsyth County map

March 19, 2017

Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, April 8, 2017

March 19, 2017

Common Whitetail, July 24, 2021

Sweetheart moth, July 24, 2021

Good to combine with:

Featured

Roswell Riverwalk

Big Creek Park

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Vickery Creek

Updated April 30, 2017 and July 24, 2021

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Gold Branch

Gold Branch Trail

November 09, 2019 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Address: 5690 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30068
Cost of admission: $5/vehicle
Governance: NPS
Acres: 363 acres
Approximate miles of trails: 5
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 16
Transit directions: The nearest bus stop (at Roswell Rd & Azalea Dr) is about 3.5 miles away. However, most of this distance can be covered via the Roswell Riverwalk, making it more enjoyable to cover on bike or on foot.
Parking: Parking is available at the trailhead. It costs $5/day, or you can purchase an annual pass for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
Trailhead(s): The trailhead is at 33.9843,-84.3854. On Lower Roswell Rd, you'll see a sign for Gold Branch. That's where parking and the trailhead are located.
Trail surface: Natural
Blazes/markings: Each intersection is marked with a full map of the Gold Branch unit.
Dogs allowed: Yes, on leash
Fishing allowed: Yes

Guidebook mentions:

Chapter 57 in Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests (1st edition)
Page 66 of Hiking the Hooch (1st edition)
Trip 83 in Afoot & Afield Atlanta (2nd edition)

Some of the segments along the river are quite narrow, and some hills are fairly steep and long.

This seems to be one of the less popular CRNRA units that have substantial trails.

Amenities:

There is a single picnic table at the trailhead

Nearby amenities/conveniences:

None

Links:
NPS
Map

February 12, 2017

November 9, 2019

For more photos, see my flickr album.

From around the web

Recent iNaturalist Observations

Random eBird sightings from the last 30 days

Good to combine with:

Featured

Roswell Riverwalk

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Vickery Creek

Chattahoochee Nature Center

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Allenbrook

Updated June 30, 2017 & November 9, 2019

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Vickery Creek

Vickery Creek Trailhead

January 26, 2018 by Shawn Taylor in parks

If you'd like to check out some scenic views, you can combine this walk with Old Mill Park by walking through the covered bridge located at VC 15 on the map.

Address: 259 Riverside Rd, Roswell, GA 30075
Cost of admission: Free + $5/vehicle for parking
Governance: National Park Service
Acres: 2,888
Approximate miles of trails: 5
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 19
MARTA directions: Take the 85 bus from North Springs Station to the Riverside Rd stop. Walk 0.1 miles east on Riverside Rd. The entrance to the Vickery Creek parking lot is on the left.
Trail surface: Natural

Links:
NPS
Park map

January 26, 2017

January 21, 2018

Eastern Phoebe, January 21, 2018

Golden-crowned Kinglet, January 21, 2018

January 21, 2018

Good to combine with:

Edited January 27, 2017 & January 26, 2018

Chattahoochee Nature Center

Chattahoochee Nature Preserve

October 23, 2017 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Address: 9135 Willeo Road - Roswell, GA 30075
Admission: $10 Adults, $7 Seniors (Ages 65+) & Students (Ages 13 -18), $6 Children (Ages 3 -12)
Acres: 127
Approximate miles of trails: 2.9
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm, Sunday: Noon – 5 pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 20
MARTA directions: Take the 85 bus from North Springs Station to the Riverside Rd stop. Take the Roswell Riverwalk west 2.0 miles to the nature center.

Links:
Trail map
http://chattnaturecenter.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ChattahoocheeNatureCenter

June 9, 2016

July 9, 2016

Mourning Dove, March 4, 2017

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, March 4, 2017

Cooper's Hawk, March 4, 2017

White-throated Sparrow, February 26, 2017

Wilson's Snipe, February 26, 2017

October 22, 2017

Good to combine with:

Featured

Jul 17, 2016

Hiking Chattahoochee Nature Center, July 9, 2016

Jul 17, 2016

Updated July 16, 2016 & October 23, 2017

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Allenbrook

Allenbrook House

February 19, 2017 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Address: 227 S Atlanta St, Roswell, GA 30075
Cost of admission: Free + $5/vehicle for parking
Governance: NPS
Acres: Unknown
Approximate miles of trails: 1
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 19
MARTA directions: Take the 85 bus from North Springs Station to the Chattahoochee Circle stop. There's an unofficial trailhead right at the bus stop, or you can walk 0.1 miles Northwest to the parking lot.
Trail surface: Natural

Links:
NPS
Park map

February 12, 2017

Good to combine with:

Old Mill Park

January 27, 2017 by Shawn Taylor in parks

If you'd like to do more than a mile of walking, you can walk through the covered bridge to reach Vickery Creek.

Address: 95 Mill View Avenue, Roswell, GA 30075
Cost of admission: Free
Governance: City of Roswell
Acres: Unknown
Approximate miles of trails: 1 (~0.5 miles each way)
Hours: Unknown
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 20
MARTA directions: Take the 85 bus from North Springs Station to the Mill St stop. Walk 0.3 miles east on Mill St, following the signs to the historic trail, mill ruins, and covered bridge.
Trail surface: Mostly packed dirt

Amenities:

Interpretive signage
Restrooms
Water fountain
Some handicapped-accessible areas
Covered bridge
Dam
Historic machine shop

Links:
City of Roswell

January 26, 2017