Explore the best rated trails in Carnesville, GA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the East West Parkway Trail and Bubble Gum Rail Trail . With more than 14 trails covering 53 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Harris Greenway could be thought of as three connected trails: the newer section at Harbins, the section at Tribble Mill, and the suburban connection in- between. This middle section is less scenic, but it is arguably the most important as it provides access for the high school and all the neighborhoods to two very nice parks. As a previous reviewer noted, there’s a full loop around the lake at Tribble Mill, and while it’s hilly and curvy, it’s mostly shaded. The surface here is asphalt, and is buckling in some places, but staff have made significant effort to mark these small hazards (as of early fall 2025 when I rode). Tribble Mill has all your standard park amenities and is a great place for a picnic if you’re starting from the other end of the Greenway. The suburban connector has a big hill down to the river, so if you’re not on an ebike, get ready for exercise! The side towards Harbins Park is newer, with rolling hills, a lovely boardwalk and more neighborhood connections. Harbins Park, while lacking the focal point of a lake that Tribble Mill has, is a nice park in its own right. There’s also another couple of miles of paved trail between all the mountain bike trails, and while it’s hilly, it’s completely shaded. I took my ride and pictures in early fall 2025. I meant to share them sooner since this trail had not received as much attention on TrailLink… but people are definitely out using it! I wound probably deduct half a star because I think more could be done to separate/protect the suburban section from the busy road, and there could be better wayfinding at the Tribble Mill section. But the Harris Greenway— with its connection to two nice parks — is a great trail. I drove over from Athens to check it out, and I’m glad I did!
Walked starting from the Gwinnett environmental and heritage center, but couldn’t get to other end of Greenway as planned because they are currently rebuilding a bridge where the trail turns to go toward the Mall of GA. Instead, did the stretch down to the suspension bridge plus the Wildlife Observation Loop Trail and still achieved 4.6 miles. Not sure when the new bridge will open but looks like they are making good progress.
Paved and shady, but in winter moss on the pavement can make it slippery. Many tree roots make for a bumpy ride for bicycles or skates. If you like biking on pavement try the connecting Terrora circle and Old 441 that has light traffic and follows the river. Delightful even on a sunny winter day. .
We ride this trail often and can't wait till more is added.
Thought I’d provide some clarity here, as the Firefly Trail is pretty disconnected and there are few trail amenities, but it has a lot of potential: Dudley Park near downtown serves as both the trail head of the Athens side and as the nexus for both the Firefly Rail Trail and the North Oconee River Greenway (so you can extend your ride in Athens by adding the Greenway). After parking, follow the trail along the river (or take a shortcut up through the woods) to reach the Firefly Rail Trail. You’ll see a bathroom, water fountain, and picnic pavilion for the park. Just off the trail there’s a bike repair station. Note: restrooms are locked in the evening and the water fountains are winterized in colder months. There’s no lighting on the trail. The Trail Creek aka rebuilt “Murmur” trestle and the bridge over the North Oconee are the highlights here. The Firefly trail is currently in segments spaced far from each other: Athens side - 2.9 miles Winterville - 1.5 miles Maxeys - 1.1 mile Woodville to Union Point - 6.5 miles The shady, three-mile connection between Athens and Winterville should be complete in spring of 2026, provided the final easements can be acquired. None of the other segments have reliable trail amenities and the towns are all very, very small. In Winterville, Pittard Park has bathrooms that may be open. In Woodville, about a mile past the trailhead, there’s public bathroom behind CJ’s BBQ that’s sometimes open. The longest segment of the Firefly Trail is actually from Woodville to Union Point, at just under 7 miles one-way, partially shaded. The Woodville trail head is just a parking lot right now and is easy to miss if you aren’t GPSing it. The trail head at Union Point is pretty but there’s no facilities currently. I recommend a trip into town… “The Point” is a grocery store/restaurant open 7 days a week, even on Easter. For now it’s your best bet for beverages and a snack on this segment. When complete, the Firefly Trail will be about 40 miles from Athens to Union Point. Check back to see the progress.
My wife and I found this to be a great trail to ride. Nice 17miles and beautiful.
If you park at the Sandy Creek Nature center, you can ride this trail and then join the Firefly Trail, which has the new bridge in place, and ride all the way to Winterville. The Firefly portion of the trail passes a convenience/gas store if you need water/food/bathroom. At that juncture you can also turn right, cross Lexington Road and continue on a trail into UGA, or towards East Athens on the other fork. This you can get a good 2-3 hr ride using all spurs.
My husband and I love this trail. We have done it a couple of times. Took my sister and her husband on it. They enjoyed too. It’s smooth and clean. We park in Easley and ride up to Pickens. We always stop in Pickens at a restaurant and eat. (So my sugar levels don’t go too low). Then we head back. Very nice and polite people on the trail.
This trail was beautiful and fun, but the hills made it pretty challenging. I had to get off my bike and walk quite a bit more than I’d hoped. I parked at Doodle Park in Easley, and managed to make it to Pickens and back! The bathrooms at both end were clean, and the trail wasn’t crowded. I went on a weekday morning though ¿.
There is a 3 mile loop around the lake that is not shown on the map.
Enjoyed a great ride on the trail with friends. We parked at Sandy Creek Nature Center and road all the way till it ended at Carriage Lane. It’s completely paved, it was our 1st trip so we did get a little confused but had no problems navigating back to where we started. We ended up with 14+ miles round trip which made for a great ride. Lots of other cyclists, walkers, and runners. But not crowded on the day we went during the week. Highly recommend
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