Explore the best rated trails in Gainesville, GA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Spring Road Trail and East Cobb Trail. With more than 44 trails covering 244 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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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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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 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 West Cobb Trail is a 2-way dedicated pathway within the right-of-way of the Ernest Barrett Parkway (State Route 5 Connector). The trail follows the arterial through a residential part of the...
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...
East Cobb Trail is located in Marietta, a northern suburb of Atlanta, and parallels Roswell Road (SR 120). Although less than 2 miles, the trail is a valuable connector between neighborhoods, shopping...
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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...
The Atlanta Road Path skirts the western border of Dobbins Air Reserve Base in the northwestern suburbs of Atlanta. The paved path begins in the Belmont Hills subdivision of Smyrna and heads north 2.5...
The Lower Roswell Trail is a 2.8-mile dedicated sidepath in Marietta, Georgia. The asphalt pathway begins at the top of Lower Roswell Road (at Willeo Road) and runs through pristinely landscaped...
The Tallulah Falls Rail-Trail (also known as the Shortline Trail) spins a short, smooth circuit through Tallulah Gorge State Park. From its trailhead beside Tallulah Falls Lake, the 1.7-mile paved...
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 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...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
The Noonday Creek Trail is open in two disconnected sections. The short, northernmost segment runs through the southwestern end of Woodstock, following its namesake tree-lined creek. At this section's...
The South Peachtree Creek Trail is a short greenway linking four recreational amenities in DeKalb County. On the east end, Medlock Park features baseball and softball diamonds, tennis courts, a...
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....
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 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,...
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 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...
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 Akers Mill Trail is the brainchild of the Cumberland Community Improvement District. The are two as yet disconnected segments of the trail, the east and the western segments. Although the Akers...
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 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...
Nearly 2 miles of the Mountain-to-River Trail are complete in northwestern Marietta. The paved trail begins at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, which stretches more than 2,000 acres over a...
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...
East Cobb Trail is located in Marietta, a northern suburb of Atlanta, and parallels Roswell Road (SR 120). Although less than 2 miles, the trail is a valuable connector between neighborhoods, shopping...
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...
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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 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...
The Lower Roswell Trail is a 2.8-mile dedicated sidepath in Marietta, Georgia. The asphalt pathway begins at the top of Lower Roswell Road (at Willeo Road) and runs through pristinely landscaped...
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 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...
Ivy Creek Greenway follows its namesake waterway in Buford, which lies in the northeastern Atlanta region. Highlights of the trip include the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, Woodward Mill...
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...
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 Atlanta Road Path skirts the western border of Dobbins Air Reserve Base in the northwestern suburbs of Atlanta. The paved path begins in the Belmont Hills subdivision of Smyrna and heads north 2.5...
The North Oconee River Greenway is a 3.5-mile long, 10-foot wide, paved multi-use path open to all types of non-motorized uses. The trail runs from Sandy Creek Nature Center (connecting with Cook's...
The Akers Mill Trail is the brainchild of the Cumberland Community Improvement District. The are two as yet disconnected segments of the trail, the east and the western segments. Although the Akers...
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....
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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 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...
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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...
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 South Peachtree Creek Trail is a short greenway linking four recreational amenities in DeKalb County. On the east end, Medlock Park features baseball and softball diamonds, tennis courts, a...
Camp Creek Greenway runs east-west through Lilburn in northeastern Atlanta. It's paved and scenic, traversing woodlands for much of its journey. Deer, rabbits, foxes, owls, and other birds are often...
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...
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 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,...
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...
East Cobb Trail is located in Marietta, a northern suburb of Atlanta, and parallels Roswell Road (SR 120). Although less than 2 miles, the trail is a valuable connector between neighborhoods, shopping...
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,...
What an awesome trail. Entire trail either paved or boardwalk. Mostly shaded. Even on this hot day, 90, rather cool. Beautiful scenary. The creek/swamp could be a negative for some, but I enjoyed seeing the deer and ducks.
A couple hills, especially starting/finishing at the Suwannee parking lot. A good challenge.
Saw several couple bikers, runners and walkers.
One of the best suggestions I have found on Trail Link.
So once again, if in the area and want to get some miles in, make a point to stop here. You really should enjoy it.
As a novice rider, this was a great trail for riding! The only real hill, other than the spur, is coming back up to the environmental center. Other than that the trail is mostly flat, made up of concrete, asphalt, and gravel/dirt, and runs along the creek. I would consider this a fairly easy ride.
It was a great day to be on a trail for a walk. The west end of this trail is at Manor Crest Court, not far from East Cobb Park. A paved but narrow sidewalk continues past that point going west. Heading east toward Roswell, the trail is a wide concrete path. The first significant point of interest is East Cobb Park where the trail crosses over Sewell Mill Creek. This is a nice park with ample parking. At this point there are trees on both sides of the road. The trail winds alongside Roswell Road going uphill toward Robinson Road where there begins to be businesses on both sides of the road and some intersections that require caution crossing. Traffic can be heavy and fast moving. Once past East Side Elementary school and Indian Hills Parkway, the trail is flat and easy. A stop at the small Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery is worthwhile to remember when this area was much different. A bike shop and several eating places are at this end of the trail which is at Seven Springs Circle, the eastern side of the Seven Springs subdivision. To this point, the distance is right at 1.5 miles, but the widened sidewalk continues on, allowing opportunities to follow either Roswell Road or Johnson Ferry. This is a short trail with a good bit of traffic and some tedious intersections, but a very worthwhile venue for some exercise. It is well marked and maintained except for a few small portions.
As part of a local heritage festival (Welshfest mid March annually) we checked out fest, music, tearoom, vendors, and biked from Rockmart to Coots Lake and back. Quick 10 miles RT and scenic. Loved the babbling creek, slate yards, craggy walls, tunnels, lake and caves. Cool stretch of trail from the best trail town on the route. Trailhead is on town square which offers South Marble coffee shop, Solis sandwich shop, Spice Street Cafe, cupcakery, museums, shops, a Slate House, green space, park, and weekly farmers market. Heard an airbnb is brewing. Meanwhile camping & mini cabins available at the Rock campground.
I HAVE RAN THIS TRAIL SINCE IT OPENED. AND WITH ALL THE RAIN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YRS THE CREEK HAS FLOODED THE TRAIL MULTIPLE TIMES AND GWINNETT COUNTY HAS LET THE TRAIL GO TO POT, NEEDS JUST A LITTLE TLC WITH GRAVEL AND JUST CLEANED UP A BIT. GREAT TRAIL, JUST A SHAME IT USED TO BE AWESOME AND IS TURNING INTO JUST SO SO. SEVERAL MUDDY AND WET SPOTS WHERE YOU CAN SINK INTO MUD OVER YOUR SHOE, YOU HAVE TO STOP RUNNING AND MAKE YOUR WAY THRU THE WOODS TO GO AROUND IT. I TALK TO ONE VOLUNTEER FOR YEARS AND HE SAYS THE CONNECTION TO BOGAN PARK WON'T HAPPEN IN HIS LIFETIME, SO DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH IT WILL EVER CONNECT ANYWHERE ELSE.
I am so excited about the possibilities of this trail. It is exactly what our kids need... A trail that will actually lead to urban areas. I currently love biking to the mountain and Town Center Mall with the kids, but I really hope that one day soon we can also bike from our area to downtown Woodstock. It would be so nice to have a alternative to driving, and would benefit so many. I pray it happens soon because I also want to see my property values go up...as I know it would if this extension happens! Let's do this!
I recently bicycled from Dallas, Ga, to Anniston, Ala. An excellent ride which I highly recommend, that could easily be broken into sections for a family outing or weekend 'de-stressor'. Thank you to those responsible for the development and maintenance of this path. Great job!
Comments;
Trail surface conditions; excellent. The path is cement in Georgia and asphalt in Alabama for the entire length. It is well drained, smooth, wide, and in excellent repair.
Signage & markers; very good over all. Markers are located every mile, however a recommended improvement would be to add distance values to\from cities, towns, trailheads as the existing markers only provide overall distance in miles, kilometers, and elevation. As for signage there is very little. Interpretive plaques, historical markers, place names, availability and direction of restroom\food\lodging\police\medical signs, etc. could be added at appropriate sites.
Trail maintenance; very good to excellent. The trail right of way is clear and wide, free of encroaching brush and bordered by well kept grass. Some vistas could be improved by clearing underbrush which would allow viewing of surrounding area. Especially when approaching some road crossings is this true. I noticed virtually no litter. Trestles and bridges, while currently usable and safe, are showing typical wear and age. Hopefully a schedule of maintenance exists for these.
Amenities; average. While benches and rest stops are conveniently located and not too far apart, I think toilets or port-a-potties are needed trailside at appropriate locations.
Great job to those who created this trail!
I am new to the area, and started riding the trail at Kennesaw Mountain. Rode the trail all the way to the Confederate Cemetery in Marietta, and the trail winded very tightly and was very narrow/un-ridable at points. It was also hard to navigate-without the GPS in my phone I probably couldn't follow it.
Wide, concrete trail very well maintained. But somewhat hilly. Has a seamless connection to the Arabia Mountain Trail. The Monastery of the Holy Spirit at the south end is a good place to start -- convenient parking. Also you can get a sandwich lunch (and tour if you like) at the Monastery.
I live in Downtown Decatur and I've been searching for a way to walk my dog in the mornings without running into small children too frequently. My dog can be a reactive to strangers and I want to find a safe way to exercise her. I found this trail randomly thinking it was the Beltline.
As far as quality goes, in between the East Lake and Avondale MARTA stations, this trail is an absolute dream! Nice wide walking path. Easy for walkers, joggers and bikers alike to enjoy the trail without obstructing each other's path. Nice tree coverage from the hot sun.
However, if you actually try to take this trail to Stone Mountain Park. Do so at your own risk, especially by walking. You definitely run into very dicey areas. Areas that aren't well maintained. There are quite a few spots where the trail doesn't have signs and it runs into busy streets and roads. Also, there are areas that aren't maintained at all which really sucks. I'd love to walk from home safely all the way to Stone Mountain Park.
It's a nice stretch--20 miles from end to end. However safety is a huge factor. This trail has so much potential if the state or city put a lot effor to make it safe for pedestrians and bike riders alike.
However, it's better than nothing I suppose. Decatur sidewalks can be too crowded during weekday mornings. They're so narrow and lots of families are dropping their kids off at school and heading to work.
So, I have to make due with the trail as it is which is still WAY better than the Beltline East Side trail that's crowded at all hours of the day every day of the week.
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