ATLnature is your guide to Atlanta's trails and other rad nature stuff in the city. Live in the city but miss hiking on the weekends? Don’t have time (or a car!) for a trip to north Georgia? Did you know there are over 30 nature trails inside the perimeter of 285 alone?
Address: 2650 Russell State Park Drive, Elberton, GA 30635
Admission: Free, $5 parking per car
Acres: 2,508
Approximate miles of trails: 6
Hours: 7:00am to 10:00pm
Trail surface: Varies: asphalt, rubberized, natural
Features:
Links:
Georgia State Parks
Map
Address: 301 Johnson Ferry Road SE, Marietta, GA 30068
Admission: Free, but parking at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area lots costs $5 per vehicle
Acres: 108
Approximate miles of trails: 2
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 15
There are dozens of miles of trails here. I recommend checking out Atlanta Trails for descriptions of some good hikes.
Address: 2970 Georgia Highway 190, Pine Mountain, GA 31822
Admission: Free, $5/day to park
Acres: 9,049
Approximate miles of trails: 42
Hours: 7:00am to 10:00pm
Trail surface: Natural
Features:
Address: 2886 Lavista Rd, Decatur, GA 30033
Admission: None
Acres: 6
Approximate miles of trails: <1
Hours: 7:00am to sunset
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 9
Trail surface: Some paved, mostly natural
Features:
Playground
Water fountain
Picnic tables
Native plant nursery
Interpretive signage
Paved exercise loop trail
Exercise equipment
Bike rack
Outdoor classroom
Briarlake Forest Park
Sometimes before sections of the BeltLine are paved, they are opened for access to people on foot or bicycle. These are considered "interim hiking trails" since they will eventually be converted to multi-use path and hopefully also light rail.
This particular interim hiking trail stretches from the paved Eastside BeltLine trail at 10th and Monroe northwards alongside Piedmont Park to Montgomery Ferry Drive.
Address (approximate): 997 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta GA 30306
Admission: None
Acres: N/A
Approximate miles of trails: ½
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 3
Trail surface: Dirt and gravel with some railroad ballast
Features:
Directly adjacent to Piedmont Park
Several Art on the BeltLine pieces
BeltLine Eastside Trail (forthcoming)
Updated October 3, 2016 & December 1, 2016
The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought here during the Civil War. Historical markers at the trailhead provide details about the battle.
The trail is part of the BeltLine, so it will eventually connect to other trail segments.
Address (approximate): 484 Collier Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30309
Admission: None
Acres: 21
Approximate miles of trails: 2
Hours: 6:00am to 11:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 5
Links:
PATH Foundation
Beltline
Updated August 1, 2016, October 23, 2016 & November 30, 2016
Address: 1150 S Gay St, Auburn, AL 36832
Admission: None
Acres: 75
Approximate miles of trails: 3 (including the trails on the Northeast side of South Gay Street, described below)
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Trail surface: Mostly natural or small gravel, some concrete
Links:
City of Auburn
The park has nature trails around the pond and leading to Town Creek Cemetery and to nearby neighborhoods.
Features:
Picnic table
Restrooms & water fountains
Playground
Pavilion
The trailhead closest to Town Creek Park is at 32.58556,-85.47503. There is a second trailhead at 32.5888,-85.4732. The trail is mostly filled with invasive species like privet, kudzu, and wisteria, but it's an interesting environment to walk through with the privet trees arching over the path.
This trail was created by the City of Auburn Tree Commission and the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department. The trees planted along the trail were grown from seeds from historically significant trees. Most were purchased from American Forests, but some are also local favorites, like a tree that grew from an acorn from one of the Toomer's Corner live oaks. Each tree has a sign describing the history of the tree it is grown from.
The trailhead is just across South Gay Street from Town Creek Park, at 32.5847, -85.4742.
Links:
City of Auburn
This trail opened in 2011. It is open for mountain biking as well as hiking. The main trailhead is at the Northwest corner of the Ogletree Elementary School parking lot.
Address: 737 Ogletree Road, Auburn, AL 36830
Admission: None
Acres: Unknown
Approximate miles of trails: 3
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Trail surface: Natural
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum is managed by the Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics. The arboretum has several collections of plants native to Alabama, including a collection of native carnivorous plants and a coastal dune collection. When I was there in October 2016, several of the trees were wrapped for a yarn bomb exhibit.
Parking details are available on the arboretum site.
Address: 181 Garden Drive, Auburn, AL 36830
Admission: Free
Acres: 14
Approximate miles of trails: <1
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Trail surface: Natural
Guidebook mentions: Chapter 104 in Exploring Wild Alabama (1st edition)
Features:
Interpretive signage, including Audubon in the Arboretum
Restrooms
Links:
Davis Arboretum
Address: 2000 County Rd 70, Leesburg, AL 35983
Admission: $5
Acres: 250
Approximate miles of trails: 4
Hours: Unknown
Trail surface: Natural
Guidebook mentions: Chapter 24 in Exploring Wild Alabama (1st edition)
Features:
Links:
Address: 125 National Forest Road 949, Tuskegee, AL 36083
Admission: Free
Acres: 11,252
Approximate miles of trails: 12
Hours: Unknown
Trail surface: Natural
Guidebook mentions: Chapter 102 in Exploring Wild Alabama (1st edition)
These trails are on Alabama Power Company land near Lake Martin and managed by the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association.
Address: 32°42'22.1"N 85°52'54.3"W (Directions)
Admission: None
Acres: Unknown
Approximate miles of trails: 17
Hours: Unknown
Trail surface: Natural
Links:
Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association
Alabama Birding Trails
When I was here in 2014, I saw someone plein air painting, and plein air is featured on the Newport Bay Conservancy website, so I guess it's a common activity here. Very little shade, so bringing extra water is recommended.
Address: 2301 University Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Admission: Free
Acres: 135
Approximate miles of trails: 5
Hours: 7:00am to sunset; interpretive center open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00am to 4:00pm
Trail surface: Natural
June 13, 2014
In 1886, Peyton King sold this land to the Avondale Land Company, preserving it for recreational use.[1] It's now the largest park in the city of Birmingham. The pond in the park is fed by King's Spring. The spring was hidden in a pipe in the 1970s, but the pipe was removed during a park renovation in 2011, and the spring's channel was reopened.[2]
This is my favorite of the parks I visited in Birmingham. I actually came back to this park a couple of times because it was so relaxing and there were a variety of different ecosystems to enjoy.
Address: 41st St S & 5th Ave S, Birminghman, AL 35222
Admission: Free
Acres: 40
Approximate miles of trails: ½
Hours: Sunrise to sundown
Trail surface: Some natural, some paved
Features:
This rails-to-trails paved path is about a mile long along a ridge overlooking Birmingham.
I wanted to check out the Vulcan Park and Museum, but although the park is directly adjacent to the east end of the trail, the rear entrance is closed, and it would be a half-mile or more walk along a busy street with no sidewalk to get to the museum from the trail!
Address (approximate): 1866 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd S, Birmingham, AL 35205
Admission: Free
Acres: Linear
Approximate miles of trails: 1 mile each way
Hours: The park is open dawn to dusk, but the parking lots have more specific hours
Trail surface: Asphalt
This park opened in 2010. It hosts many events, but is also a nice park to just take a walk in and enjoy the water features.
Address: 1600 1st Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233
Admission: Free
Acres: 19
Approximate miles of trails: 0.5
Hours: 7:00am to 11:00pm
Trail surface: Mostly paved, some boardwalk
Features:
Links:
Railroad Park
Address: 932 Scott Blvd, Decatur, GA 30030
Admission: Free
Acres: 7
Approximate miles of trails: 0.5
Hours: Daylight hours
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 6
Features:
Visitors center
Outdoor classroom
Links:
Woodlands Garden
Updated August 3, 2016 & November 20, 2016
This trail could definitely use some love. It's flanked on both sides by chain link fences (or a parking deck). If the fences could be removed, at least it would be a tiny spot to get into some shade and away from the traffic of Lindbergh. Some of its faults can be forgiven, since it's probably the closest nature trail to a MARTA rail station. (I visited the trail after hopping off a MARTA bus and before taking the train.) But even given that convenience, it's really lacking in enjoyability due to the fences and trash.
Address (approximate): 780 Morosgo Dr NE, Atlanta GA 30324
Admission: None
Approximate miles of trails: <1
Hours: One hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 6
Trail surface: Gravel
Features:
October 19, 2016
The nature center parking lot is small, but more parking is available at Dunwoody Park, and there is a trailhead there as well.
Address: 5343 Roberts Dr, Dunwoody, GA 30338
Admission: Free
Acres: 22
Approximate miles of trails: 2
Hours: The trails are open 7am to sundown, 7 days a week; the office is open 9am to 5pm M-F
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 16
Trail surface: Natural
Features:
Picnic area
Playground
Interpretive signage
Events
Hammocks
Address: 607 Brownwood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316
Admission: None
Acres: 12
Approximate miles of trails: <1
Hours: 6:00am to 11:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 3
Trail surface: Some natural, some paved
Features:
Playground
Basketball and tennis courts
Community garden
Picnic pavilion
Grant Park (post forthcoming)
DeKalb Memorial Park (post forthcoming)
