Find the top rated hiking trails in Eatonton, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_55646_st.jpg)
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.
If you’re up for the challenge of nearly continuous hills, you’ll be rewarded with a lovely ride through nature on this well/signed, well-maintained trail. It’s a great training ride! One suggestion I have for riders doing the Rockdale River Trail is to start at Lorraine Park— where there’s a public bathroom— and bike the three miles to the monastery, then turn back to your car. At that point you can decide if you feel exhausted by the hills or warmed up enough to continue to Panola Mountain State Park, etc. As reviewers said, this trail connects to Arabia Mountain trails, Panola Park trails, and at least part of the South River trail of you wish to extend your ride. Today I turned back at the start of the Arabia Mountain trail, went past the lake to the state park and visited the nature center (which has snacks and drinks for sale during the day), then took the lake loop to get me back on the Rockdale River Trail. The maps on the trail are great and I only got confused once, near the state park where I almost turned toward the Rock Road spur instead. The trail is hilly but mostly shaded, except where it briefly passes through power easements and a few stints along the road. There are two road crossings, one of them with high speed vehicles, so keep that in mind if you have little ones with you. I saw the Rockdale County trail maintenance people and thanked them for their work… the shoulders are clearly regularly mowed and grass/dirt encroachment is almost non existent. The pavement still looks great, even if the paint is fading. All impressive considering the challenging terrain.
This trail is great! We start at Beaver Park entrance and ride all the way to downtown Covington. Eat, ride around all the old homes and homes that have been in films. Great scenery, quiet, clean and smooth. On the way back, we usually head to the Market Place creamery in Mansfield right off the trail at the end!
I rode this trail from the parking garage in Covington past Mansfield and back on August 14th for a total of 25 miles. It's up and down the whole way, with grades rarely over 1%, so not trouble keeping going. It fairly scenic passing swamps, farms, and fields. It also has three bridges, the longest over the Alcovy. The surface is concrete near Covington but transitions to asphalt a few miles out. There are a few tree roots starting to push up, but nothing more than mild bumps. Very smooth, otherwise. Mansfield has an interesting coffee shop I may try on the next trip.
Some things to know. It seems the parking garage (free!) in the center of Covington is the best place to park. There do not appear to be any public restrooms or bottle filling stations along the way.
Went out on this trail with my 11-year-old and nine-year-old, who are relatively new to biking any sort of distance. The trail was really nice, scenic, well-maintained, and easy enough for them with some gentle rolling hills. It winds around a golf course for a ways. We ended up doing 6 miles total and it worked well. As of 8/2025, the Atlanta RC club is mat one end is closed, so we had to find an alternate parking spot. Gresham Park is a nice spot to park in.
I started the trail by Camellia garden, rather I attempted to start. The path is not walkable due to construction. It was muddy and not worth the attempt. Very disappointing.
We ride this trail today as part of the last and 25th GA Tandem Rally. Loved the trail and thanks to all those who had a part in making it happen! It’s a beautiful paved trail and really enhances your town.
We rode this yesterday 4-20-2025. Easter Sunday. It is a beautiful trail and well maintained. We found a coffee shop called Your Perfect Cup in Mansfield for a nice snack before heading back.
Most of trail is blocked by road construction. Can ride a little in the National Park but have to stay on paved roads….they have some nice hiking trails but off limits to bikes. Find some place else to ride until construction is completed….probably 2026 or 2027.
Entrance to trail through Central Park was terrible. Homeless, trash, feces, etc. Scary and sad. The trail really could be beautiful
We ride this trail the most and Elena did serious damage to the trail. We now park at MLK HS as the South River parking is under construction. We appreciate the clean up done after Elena, however another large tree needs to be removed about a mile north of the SR trailhead.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
Map Search
