Explore the best rated trails in Decatur, GA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Peachtree Parkway Trail and Spring Road Trail. With more than 63 trails covering 393 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.
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The Nancy Creek Trail provides a route between Murphy Candler Park and Blackburn Park, two popular recreation sites in the Atlanta suburb of Brookhaven. The concrete trail is a mixture of off-road...
Settles Bridge Park is a 268-acre nature complex with fitness and recreation amenities serving residents of Suwanee. The park features 4.5 miles of trails, including 1.6 miles of asphalt multiuse...
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Covington's Eastside Trail connects Eastside High School, Newton County Public Library, and Chimney Park. Much of the landscape is pleasantly wooded and there are four wooden boardwalks over...
When Georgia's Department of Transportation undertook a major construction project to build new highway infrastructure in northwest Atlanta, local organizations pushed to make sure that the state...
Whetstone Creek Trail, built on an old rail spur, winds through the Adams Crossing and Windsor Hills neighborhoods of northwest Atlanta. Much of the trail travels through woodlands and Whetstone...
Big Creek Greenway spans nearly 20 miles, connecting Cumming, Alpharetta, and Roswell. The paved trail is currently open in two disconnected sections with a gap of a couple miles in northeast...
The developing PATH400 Greenway Trail will one day run 5.2 miles from the Atlanta BeltLine north through Buckhead up to I-285 and the trail system in Sandy Springs. Currently, the paved trail is open...
South River Trail offers a wooded route along its namesake river, about 15 miles southeast of Atlanta. On its west end is Martin Luther King Jr. High School. On its east end, it ties into the area’s...
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Atlanta's first trolleys were developed in 1870s and the many lines were consolidated to form the Georgia Power Company. The Path Foundation has been instrumental in developing this, and other,...
The Cricket Frog Trail gets its name from the quarter-sized amphibian native to this part of Georgia. The trail occupies the former railbed of the Central of Georgia Railway. Totaling 14.9 miles,...
The Carrollton GreenBelt is the largest greenspace and greenway conservation project ever undertaken in the city of Carrollton's almost 200-year history. The 16-mile paved loop runs along public...
The Akers Mill Trail is the brainchild of the Cumberland Community Improvement District. The trail is split into two different sections, the east and the western segments, which are tied together by...
Rockdale River Trail offers a beautiful natural escape through Rockdale County, just southeast of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The trail is hilly and winding as it goes through heavily forested...
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The Atlanta BeltLine will link more than 40 neighborhoods, multiple public parks, and mass transit stations in a planned 33-mile trail network throughout the city. Rather than the straight line of a...
This 3-mile path around Chastain Park in Atlanta is one of PATH Foundation's most popular trails (the PATH Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing a multi-use network of...
The Lucille Creek Trail runs through Powder Springs for about a mile along the western bank of its namesake waterway for most of its journey. It's a nicely shaded, paved pathway with views of wetlands...
The Town to Creek Trail is situated right in the heart of Woodstock, a northwestern suburb of Atlanta. Shortly after its beginning at Market Street (one block from Main Street), the paved trail dives...
The Keswick Park Extension Trail, also known as the Chamblee Rail Trail, is situated in Chamblee, a community northeast of Atlanta. It offers a short but useful paved pathway through downtown, passing...
While most Atlanta residents would know this trail as a greenway through Freedom Park and Candler Park, it's really much more: a continuous 19-mile stretch of car-free paths and on-street bike lanes...
The picturesque Oxford Trail winds along Turkey Creek through the heart of the charming southern town of Oxford. The wooded pathway runs behind the Oxford College campus and offers a kiosk with...
When Georgia's Department of Transportation undertook a major construction project to build new highway infrastructure in northwest Atlanta, local organizations pushed to make sure that the state...
Spring Road Trail offers a short, paved pathway through Smyrna, a suburb north of Atlanta. The paved trail is lined with trees on one side and parallels Spring Road on the other. Only a mile from...
Although only a half-mile long, the Yellow River Trail is Newton County’s first rail-trail and offers a serene and scenic experience under a lush tree canopy. It opened in December 2015 and is nestled...
The Silver Comet Trail follows the bed of the old Seaboard Air Line. From 1947 to 1969, the shiny Silver Comet passenger train provided luxury service between New York and Birmingham. Today, three...
The Carrollton GreenBelt is the largest greenspace and greenway conservation project ever undertaken in the city of Carrollton's almost 200-year history. The 16-mile paved loop runs along public...
This 10-foot wide off-road trail both draws trail users off the Silver Comet Trail into Mableton, and connects Mableton’s neighborhoods to the 61.5-mile rail-trail. It begins at the Floyd Road...
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The Westside Trail offers a tree-lined route in Atlanta, running from University Avenue to Lena Avenue along the former Louisville and Nashville Railroad. It connects the historical neighborhoods of...
The first phase of the Proctor Creek Greenway opened in May 2018 and stretches nearly 3 miles in northwestern Atlanta, surrounded by the neighborhoods of Bankhead, Grove Park, Rockdale and West...
The developing PATH400 Greenway Trail will one day run 5.2 miles from the Atlanta BeltLine north through Buckhead up to I-285 and the trail system in Sandy Springs. Currently, the paved trail is open...
While most Atlanta residents would know this trail as a greenway through Freedom Park and Candler Park, it's really much more: a continuous 19-mile stretch of car-free paths and on-street bike lanes...
The East Decatur Greenway offers a pleasant outdoor experience and community connector in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The paved pathway begins across the street from MARTA's Avondale Station and...
The Cumberland Connector begins at the eastern end of the popular Silver Comet Trail and continues east nearly 5 miles along the southern outskirts of Smyrna in the Atlanta metro region. The trail...
The Phoenix Trail runs from College Park’s former industrial area, now primarily containing airport hotels, to W. Point Avenue. The nearly 2-mile rail-trail, which was built on a railbanked CSX...
Cochran Shoals Trail, on the northwestern outskirts of Atlanta, follows the western bank of the Chattahoochee River for nearly two miles. The unpaved pathway travels through Chattahoochee River...
The paved North Park Path is located in Alpharetta, a northern suburb of Atlanta. Although it's short (less than a mile), the trail offers terrific access to the amenities of Alpharetta North Park,...
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Atlanta's Eastside Trail stretches just over 3 miles between Piedmont Park and and the neighborhoods of Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown. As its name implies, it runs along the east side of the city,...
The Concord Road Trail is a hardscape hike and bike path located alongside the road of the same name in Smyrna, Georgia. The trail begins at the intersection of Concord and Atlanta Roads, where it...
The Peachtree Parkway Trail may not be much to look at, but this flat asphalt pathway that runs along the side of Peachtree Parkway is one of the best ways to get around the suburban community of...
The Akers Mill Trail is the brainchild of the Cumberland Community Improvement District. The trail is split into two different sections, the east and the western segments, which are tied together by...
Whetstone Creek Trail, built on an old rail spur, winds through the Adams Crossing and Windsor Hills neighborhoods of northwest Atlanta. Much of the trail travels through woodlands and Whetstone...
The 10-feet-wide Wildhorse Trail begins at Wild Horse Creek Park at Macedonia Road in Powder Springs and continues south 1.5 miles along Wild Horse and Noses creeks, where it connects with the Silver...
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Although only a mile, the Northside Trail travels through scenic Tanyard Creek Park and connects Ardmore Park and Atlanta Memorial Park. Along the way, the tree-lined route offers numerous access...
The multi-use Suwanee Creek Greenway meanders 4 miles along Suwanee Creek (a tributary of the Chattahoochee River) through forest and wetlands on a mostly hard surface; some parts have a boardwalk....
The Roswell Riverwalk is a dedicated, off-road path running for 7 miles along the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, GA. It’s a popular trail, lending itself to a range of uses by residents of the nearby...
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The Southwest Connector Trail is part of the Atlanta BeltLine, a 33-mile network of paved trails throughout the city. Although currently disconnected from other segments of the BeltLine, this one-mile...
The Lucille Creek Trail runs through Powder Springs for about a mile along the western bank of its namesake waterway for most of its journey. It's a nicely shaded, paved pathway with views of wetlands...
Settles Bridge Park is a 268-acre nature complex with fitness and recreation amenities serving residents of Suwanee. The park features 4.5 miles of trails, including 1.6 miles of asphalt multiuse...
The Arabia Mountain Trail winds its way through giant rock outcroppings, past rushing streams plunging in woodland waterfalls and among farmland and fields of wildflowers undulating in the breeze. In...
Rockdale River Trail offers a beautiful natural escape through Rockdale County, just southeast of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The trail is hilly and winding as it goes through heavily forested...
There are two distinct segments of trail along Rottenwood Creek. The south segment can be found in the Chattanooga River National Recreation Area beginning in Cumberland. The north segment can be...
The Reeves Creek Trail runs through a residential area of Stockbridge, the largest city in Henry County that sits just 20 miles south of Atlanta. It begins in Memorial Park, which abounds with...
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The West End Trail was the first section to open of the greater 33-mile Atlanta BeltLine network of proposed trails. This 12-foot wide, multi-use path extends from Westview Drive south of I-20, across...
Rock Creek Greenway is a well-shaded, paved pathway connecting four parks on its way across Gainesville, from downtown to Lake Lanier. A pleasant place to begin is on the trail’s eastern end at...
The Carrollton GreenBelt is the largest greenspace and greenway conservation project ever undertaken in the city of Carrollton's almost 200-year history. The 16-mile paved loop runs along public...
The Keswick Park Extension Trail, also known as the Chamblee Rail Trail, is situated in Chamblee, a community northeast of Atlanta. It offers a short but useful paved pathway through downtown, passing...
South of downtown Atlanta in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood, the scenic Southtowne Trail provides over two miles of paved trail, passing through some of the area's prettiest natural lands around...
The Westside Trail offers a tree-lined route in Atlanta, running from University Avenue to Lena Avenue along the former Louisville and Nashville Railroad. It connects the historical neighborhoods of...
While the mile-long Allatoona Pass is today a serene, pine-shaded trail, in April 1862 it played a role in the Great Locomotive Chase, when disguised Union soldiers seeking to destroy critical bridges...
The East Decatur Greenway offers a pleasant outdoor experience and community connector in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The paved pathway begins across the street from MARTA's Avondale Station and...
The paved North Park Path is located in Alpharetta, a northern suburb of Atlanta. Although it's short (less than a mile), the trail offers terrific access to the amenities of Alpharetta North Park,...
Good mix of flat land and some elevation passing through the Chastain neighborhood, houses and the inner nature walk. Street Parking is convenient. Less nature exposure but well located in the city.
Really enjoy leisurely biking the trail. It can be very busy on the weekend, and the avid cyclist take some great risks in passing walkers and other slower cyclists. Most do not announce they are approaching, and many “thread the needle” in trying to pass.
The review below regarding trail closure was correct when written (Summer 2018) due to water line replacements throughout Arabia Mountain Park in DeKalb County.
In addition, on the Rockdale County side, there were closures related to dam improvements between the upper and lower lakes of Panola State Park.
However, the good news is the entire trail system (Arabia Mountain, South River, and Rockdale River trails) is now (Fall 2019) back to normal (trails opened again!).
Easy to use paths and connects seamlessly with Roswell River trail!
Overall this trail is best for connections. The north side is a great bike/walk trail where you can freely bike/walk at least a few feet removed from the street and it’s aesthetically nice even for a trail that runs between an interstate and a service road. As a connection to the trails along the Chattahoochee it’s excellent but wouldnt really stand on its own other than being a nice side street trail. The south is a glorified sidewalk that connects the Bob Callan to Akers Mill shopping center, Cumberland Mall, etc.
The Rockdale River Trail is seamlessly connected with the Arabia Mountain Trail and a portion of the South River Trail, forming a network of ~25 miles of trails (I see various measures). This entire system is hard surface (mostly concrete with a few asphalt stretches). Even though significant portions of the trail are wooded/shaded, the trail itself is usually quite clear of debris (well maintained)... unless you are riding very soon after stormy or windy days).
When we ride near dawn or dusk, we often see wildlife along the trails (deer, rabbits, snakes, turkeys). The stretch of the Rockdale River trail between Union Church Road and S.R. 138 that runs above/along the South River and is probably my favorite portion of the entire connected system, as you listen for the water cascading over the rocks down below.
Rockdale County recently (~September 2019) constructed bathrooms at the trailheads located off Union Church Road (at Daniels Bridge Road intersection) and off S.R. 138 (at the East Fairview Road intersection)… the latter of which has full plumbing (running water + sewer).
As other comments on this site indicate, this trail system has lots of hills and curves (this is a roller coaster, not a "rails to trails" like the Silver Comet!). So, if you are a beginner, expect to cover a shorter distance than you normally would. And remember, along with uphills come downhills, so make sure your brakes are in working order!
My wife and I did this simple loop around the city at an avg of 11mph. One of the most pleasant enjoyable rides Ive ever had. We have Trek ebikes but also have regular bikes. We rode ebikes this time. Shouldnt be any issue for anyone. Awesome flow through many different types of areas.
The wooded trails are absolutely beautiful but be careful if walking along the Chattahoochee River. Copperhead Snakes and Raccoons have been spotted.
Nice, short walk through the woods and along the river. Perfect for a quick and quiet walk with the dog.
Good for walking and leisure riding, cruddy for any kind of actual workout.
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