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?
Most parks I post here because of their nature trails. This is one of the ones that has only a very short trail, but still has much to offer as far as enjoying nature right in the middle of the city.
Address (approximate): 175 Waverly Way Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307
Admission: None
Acres: 4.6
Approximate miles of trails: Less than one
Hours: 6:00am to 11:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 2
Trail surface: Natural
Features:
Since I needed to be at the park by 8:00am on a Saturday, there was very little traffic when I headed out. As a result, I decided to roll straight down 10th Street between my place and the park.
Even during normal traffic conditions, Piedmont Park is quite convenient to access by bike, either via the BeltLine or by taking Myrtle or Charles Allen to the 10th Street cycletrack. If riding MARTA, there are quick rides from Arts Center, Midtown, or North Avenue station.
Ride there:
Distance: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Traffic: Very little, because of time of day
Lately I've been trying to learn more about what I'm seeing when I look at nature, so I've been attending informative events put on by groups all over town. This weekend I decided to try out an Atlanta Audubon Society field trip for the first time. This was my first time ever birding.
I met the group leader, Jason Ward, and the other birders at the Piedmont Park community center. There was another complete newbie there, so I didn't feel alone. Jason looked at his numbers from previous walks in Piedmont Park at the same time of year, and we set a goal to see 45 species over the walk that was estimated to last 3 hours and cover 2.5 miles.
Soon, we set out. This was one of the first mornings of the year that had felt like Fall, with the temperature being around 55ºF at the beginning of our walk. We meandered around the park, checking out the different bird habitats. There was a 5K happening in the park with some loud music, which meant some of the birds had relocated to different areas of the park than they would usually be in.
I had a great time my first time birding. The group was super chill, they were friendly to newbies, and some of the more experienced birders would add helpful tidbits about how to recognize birds or the behaviors of different species. I personally saw 29 species, while the group as a whole saw 44.
I also thought it was pretty neat to go birding in what is probably the most visited park in Atlanta. There were different types of birds in different areas of the park. Jason mentioned that he thinks that Piedmont Park has great birds, but that most birders neglect it because they don't expect it to.
Jason does a Piedmont Park bird walk the first Saturday of every month, and I felt like it was a great first birding experience. I recommend checking it out. The Atlanta Audubon Society has a list of their field trips online with more information about each. They also have a checklist of birds in Atlanta available on their website.
I wanted to take some photos for this site, so in the afternoon, I covered most of the same ground again. I took a lot of photos of the park's large tulip poplars, magnolias, and pecans. The weather was quite nice, so I stayed out a long time. More photos are available on my Piedmont Park page.
Finally, I wandered up and down the BeltLine interim hiking trail that follows along the East side of Piedmont Park between 10th Street and Montgomery Ferry.
Combining the hike and the bird walk, my phone recorded 27,439 steps and 8.6 miles.
Approximate Google Maps directions
To come back, I took a little detour through the park and then took my default route of cycletrack -> Myrtle -> 5th Street and then through Georgia Tech.
Ride back:
Distance: 3.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Traffic: Light
This trail has two trailheads, one on the north side of Lindbergh Dr and the other on the west side of Cheshire Bridge Rd NE. The trail links the two roads and follows along the north fork of Peachtree Creek, and under I-85.
This gravel- and paved-surface path was named after Captain Hezekiah Cheshire whose farmhouse was once located near where the trail now sits. More history about Captain Cheshire and the area is available from the South Fork Conservancy, who played a role in the creation of the trail.
When the new exit connecting I-85 and GA-400 was being built, the Georgia Department of Transportation agreed to the creation of the Cheshire Farm trail as a compromise to the neighborhood. The trail was completed in 2014.
Address (approximate): 850 Lindbergh Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
Admission: None
Approximate miles of trails: 1
Hours: The park is open dawn to dusk, but the parking lots have more specific hours
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 6
Features:
Bilingual interpretive signage
Links:
Confluence Trail (post forthcoming)
As well as the nature trails and community garden, this park is also home to a natural meadow area.
Address: 1800 Dixie St. SE, Atlanta, GA 30317
Cost of admission: None
Governance: City of Atlanta
Acres: 5
Approximate miles of trails: 1
Hours: 6:00am - 11:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 4
MARTA directions: From Edgewood/Candler Park Station, take the 24 bus to Hosea L Williams Dr @ Rogers St SE. Walk east on Hosea L. Williams for half a block. Turn right into the DeKalb-Atlanta Human Services Complex. There is a trailhead at the back of the back parking lot.
Or... From King Memorial Station, take the 21 bus to Memorial Dr SE@Warren St SE. Walk west on Memorial. Take the first right onto Dearborn St. The trailhead will be on the left.
Bike directions: From the Freedom Park trail, take Oakdale south (it becomes Whitefoord). Turn left on Hosea L. Williams. Turn into the DeKalb-Atlanta Human Services Complex. There is a trailhead at the back of the back parking lot.
Parking: There is some parking available at the Dearborn St. trailhead.
Trail surface: Natural/mulch
Blazes/markings: None
Geocaching: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes
Guidebook mentions: None
Trailhead(s):
Trailhead #1: In parking lot behind Dekalb Community Service Board, 33.751993, -84.327267
Trailhead #2: End of Dearborn St., 33.751032, -84.327267
Trailhead #3: End of Rogers St., 33.750412, -84.329231
Trailhead #4: Clay St., 33.750066, -84.330411 note: you basically have to walk through someone's yard to access the trail here, but the trailhead is marked next to the street with an official City of Atlanta sign
Trailhead #5: Dearborn St. near Bixby St., 33.749103, -84.327731
Features:
Picnic table
Sandbox
Community garden
Links:
DeKalb Memorial Park (post forthcoming)
When visitors fly into our "city in a forest", they always comment saying "It's so green!" The Atlanta Canopy Conference sought to maintain our city's uniqueness.
In my mind, there were three main themes (intentional or not) to the conference: looking to the future, designing the landscape, and education through arboreta. The following are my takeaways from the conference.
This Saturday, I attended the Atlanta Kudzu Festival at South Bend Park in Atlanta.
Considering the invasive pest that kudzu is around here, it seems like an odd thing to have a festival celebrating. But the festival was actually a pretty neat idea, featuring demonstrations on how to remove kudzu, things you can make with kudzu (baskets, paper, food), and several guided hikes, including hikes for beginners and teens.
I was mostly attending to gain information on the hikes, so that will be the focus of this post.
I had been to this park two years earlier to check out the PATH trail, but I had not noticed any clear unpaved trails, so I was excited to learn where people hike in these woods.
Both of the hikes I attended were led by EcoAddendum, also known as Eco-A. Eco-A is an organization that puts on guided nature hikes and also some longer trips. I had gone to a couple of their hikes prior to the festival, and I have always been impressed by the level of knowledge provided and the clarity with which it is presented. I also really appreciate the attention they bring to intown parks, which aligns nicely with the focus of Proximity To Nature.
This hike had two destinations. For each half of the hike, we branched off of the Southtown PATH trail.
Native Trees
In the first half of the hike, we began with a discussion of what a native understory looks like. We saw an understory with Solomon's seal, wild ginger, native peas, and young blackgum and pawpaw.
Next, we walked down towards the creek. On the steep bank of the creek, we saw a beech tree that must have been 150+ years old. The age of this beech and the types of trees around indicates that this is a remnant of old-growth forest. As our guide Kathryn pointed out, we had experienced two ecosystems in a walk of under two-tenths of a mile. On our way back to the PATH trail, she also pointed out a deer trail.
South River Walk
The second half of the first hike led us to a creek that just past here combines with the South River. Kathryn allowed as how these are the headwaters of the South River, which later passes by Panola Mountain and eventually join other waters to become the Ocmulgee, then the Altamaha, then drain into the Atlantic Ocean.
The second hike began at a trailhead along Lakewood Avenue between the main park entrance and the park swimming pool entrance. The first portion of this trail was bordered on both sides with solid kudzu. The trail had been recently cleared of kudzu by Terry Sutton of Cascade Springs Forestry, who was also along for the hike. We also saw quite a bit of ragweed and goldenrod.
The primary destination of this hike was a huge sycamore tree.
Before we arrived at the tree, we made a stop at the confluence of the creek we viewed earlier and another creek.
At our destination, we were awed by the Sycamore. This incredible tree is probably over 150 years old. It's huge! The photos I took really don't do it justice. I highly recommend you go see it for yourself.
Thanks to Eco-A for leading these great hikes and to Sustainable Lakewood, EcoAddendum, and Councilwoman Carla Smith for putting on the festival!
The Southtowne PATH trail goes through South Bend Park. Check out its page for more info. When viewed from the PATH trail, it seems like this park is thoroughly overgrown with kudzu, but the park does hold some remnants of old-growth forests.
The main trailhead for unpaved paths is located along Lakewood Avenue between the entrance marked "South Bend Park Swimming Pool" and the entrance marked "South Bend Center for Arts and Culture". The trailhead is on the west side of the creek. As of September 2016, it is marked with a "leave no trace" sign.
Address: 2000 Lakewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
Admission: None
Acres: 77
Approximate miles of trails: 2
Hours: 6:00am to 11:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 4
Features:
Picnic pavilion
Water fountains
Multi-use PATH trail
Playground
This is a PATH foundation multi-use trail. It connects two parks, South Bend Park and Swann Preserve.
Address: 226 Bromack Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30315 OR 2000 Lakewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA, 30315 OR other trailheads
Admission: None
Approximate miles of trails: 3 miles round-trip out-and-back
Hours: PATH trails are open dawn to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 4
Links:
PATH Foundation
Zerøwaste & Found Object show, 2016
33 Oaks by David Landis
Georgia has 33 native species of oak. This sculpture installation includes to-scale stainless steel representations of the leaves of each of those oaks.
17 of the sculptures were installed in May 2015, with the remainder being installed in May 2016. Trees Atlanta is complementing the installation by planting each of the 33 oak species amongst the sculptures.
The installation can be seen along Atlanta's Eastside BeltLine trail, just south of North Avenue.
Georgia's native oaks:
Links:
Trees Atlanta
Atlanta BeltLine
Installation photos
David Landis
Updated September 22, 2016
Address: 299 Bell St, Decatur, GA 30030
Admission: Free
Acres: 54
Approximate miles of trails: 0.5
Hours: 8:00am to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 7
This is a very short trail, but it’s easy to combine with nearby trails or a walk through the cemetery.
August 13, 2016
Glenlake Park (post forthcoming)
Agnes Scott (post forthcoming)
While primarily a recreational neighborhood park, this park is also home to ITP's only permanent disc golf course.
If you want to hike this park, it would probably be best to visit at times when there aren't many disc golfers around. For reference, I arrived at the park around 7am on a Sunday, and there was no-one playing. When I was leaving around 8am, a few groups of players had just arrived. As of July 2016, they have a league that plays every Sunday at 9am.
Address: 770 Deckner Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
Admission: None
Acres: 50
Approximate miles of trails: 1, primarily used for disc golf
Hours: 6:00am to 11:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 4
Features:
Disc golf course
Splash pad
Recreation center
Tennis courts
Basketball courts
Playground
Mountain Way Common is a new park that opened shortly before I first visited in October 2014. At the time, they had hired goats to clear out the invasive plants along the creek.
The greenspace will one day link to the PATH 400 trail.
Address: 4134 N Ivy Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342
Admission: None
Acres: 9
Approximate miles of trails: 0.5
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 9
PATH 400 (post forthcoming)
Also known as Fort Peachtree Park, Standing Peachtree is a park at the confluence of Peachtree Creek and the Chattahoochee River.
Standing Peachtree was a Creek Indian village and trading post. An Indian trail ran from south along a ridge line towards what is now downtown Atlanta. This trail later became Peachtree Street, named after the village.
Fort Peachtree was built here in 1814, during the War of 1812. A reconstruction of the fort was built, but is not currently open to the public.
The greenspace here was closed for security reasons surrounding the 1996 Olympics, and was just re-opened to the public in 2014.
Address (approximate): 2715 Ridgewood Rd NW (on the west side of Ridgewood Rd, just north of Peachtree Creek)
Admission: None
Acres: 15
Approximate miles of trails: 0.5
Hours: Daylight hours
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 7
Features:
November 12, 2014
Address: 1442 Richland Rd. SW, Atlanta GA 30310
Admission: Free
Acres: 22
Approximate miles of trails: 0.5
Hours: 9:00am to 8:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 4
Emma Millican Park (post forthcoming)
Address: 2852 Cascade Rd. SW, Atlanta, GA 30327
Admission: None
Acres: 120
Approximate miles of trails: 3
Hours: Summer: Weekdays 7:30am to 3:00pm, weekends 7:30am to 7:30pm; Winter: Weekdays 7:30am to 3:00pm, weekends 7:30am to 6:00pm
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 6
Links:
Atlas Obscura
This trail will one day connect to the Beltline and PATH 400 trails. The trailhead for the Meadow Loop Trail is on the south side of Lindbergh Drive. On the north side, immediately across the street, is the Cheshire Farm Trail trailhead.
Address (approximate): 850 Lindbergh Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
Admission: None
Acres: 4
Approximate miles of trails: 0.5
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 6
Links:
South Fork Conservancy
Finding the primary trailhead: The trailhead is on the south side of Lindbergh Dr just east of I-85.
Parking: No trailhead parking
July 24, 2014
I biked from my place to Five Points station. From there, I took the train to Decatur station.
The 2.7 miles from Medlock Park to Shamrock Forest was the most consistently steep area I've biked in in Atlanta, which is really saying something. Long, steep uphills were followed by long, steep downhills, over and over again. It wasn't fun, but I eventually made it to Shamrock Forest. Hooray for having a wide range of gears!
Ride there:
Distance: 5.7 miles from Decatur station
Difficulty: Very strenuous
Traffic: Very little, other than moderate traffic on Medlock Rd.
This was my first time at Shamrock Forest. Years ago, I met someone who was also really into urban hiking, and he told me about this trail, but I didn't get around to it for a while, and then I completely forgot about it. I was planning to go to the Tiny House Festival, so I figured I'd check out a trail or two near downtown Decatur. When I looked at the map to plan out my day, I saw Shamrock Forest and remembered how highly it was recommended. It was a bit of a ride to get there, but it was totally worth it. That said, if I go back I might take an Uber or convince a friend with a car to go with me.
The ride back was much more relaxing, even though there were some heavy traffic sections until I got onto the PATH trail.
Ride back:
Distance: 5.6 miles to Decatur station (and later 9.8 miles back to West Midtown)
Difficulty: Very strenuous
Traffic: Moderate to heavy until reaching PATH trail
The whole reason I had chosen to hike in Decatur on this day was that some of my coworkers were going to the Tiny House Festival. I would love to one day live in a tiny house, so I was excited to check out the festival with them. We got to tour several tiny houses.
Hiked: 3 miles
Walked: 2 miles
Biked: 23 miles
Transit: 6 miles
Address (approximate): 2700 Delcourt Drive, Decatur, GA 30033
Admission: None
Acres: 72
Approximate miles of trails: 2
Hours: Probably 7am to dusk like other parks in DeKalb county
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 10
Features:
- Picnic area
There are trails near Druid Hills Middle School and Laurel Ridge Elementary School. These trails are very wide and have a pine straw and dirt surface. The Shamrock Forest trail is more of a traditional nature trail. There are a few steep sections, but the trail is mostly fairly flat. The surfaces are mostly easy to walk on, but there are a few small sections of railroad rock or roots. There are surprisingly many trails for the park's size. Despite the trail density, you usually can't see the nearby trails.
There is a small parking lot at the trailhead. There are additional trailheads at the end of Balsam Dr., the end of Blueberry Trail, and behind University Heights United Methodist Church on Balsam Dr.
I took four modes of transportation on today's journey to the Chattahoochee Nature Center. I rode my bike to the Midtown MARTA station, took MARTA to North Springs Station, and then took an Uber to the nature center. From there I hiked.
My full journey
My full day cost $35.52:
My hike
In the morning, when I hiked the boardwalk trail across the street from the main nature center area, there were only a couple of people in the river. By the time I left the center, the river was packed with rafters. I'm sure it was a great day to be out on the river. I wish I had done the boardwalk trail last, so I could grab some photos of folks floating down the Chattahoochee.
I hiked 3.8 miles, took 125 photos, and found 5 geocaches.
