Atlanta bike trails (Columbus, Roswell, Marietta: condos, homes, live in)

[bernsee]

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a bike trail in the city? I have not really used my bike since I moved down here 2 years ago. I live in South Buckhead so I sometimes go to Piedmont Park for a walk but they don't really have extensive bike trails, and with so many people walking and jogging there, it's dangerous to add a bike to the mix. Silver Comet is a bit too far away, maybe for a weekend ride. I wish the Stone Mountain trail connected better with the short trail at Freedom Parkway/Carter Center. It's a bit disappointing because I go to other cities nearby, like Columbus, Augusta and Chattanooga and they all have bike trails, but they are also along rivers, which Atlanta doesn't have. The focus here seems to be on building condos and homes, not parks and bike trails, which is too bad.

[jdubvjt]

Bicycle South occasionally organizes a group ride from their shop by Emory out to the Dekalb PATH and to Stone Mountain.

Bicycle South Advocacy and Community Ride Calendar (http://www.bicyclesouth.com/calendar.htm - broken link)

I agree it'd be nice if the PATH went further into Atlanta but in the group you'll find a good route to where it starts up again in Clarkston, or at least have safety in numbers!

Next one is April 19 2009 at 9am.

On the same page are other in-town group rides where you might learn of good low-traffic routes or paths.

You're on your own for the Buckhead to Emory area leg though!

[Mishap]

I gave up trying to find intown trails. Instead I just bought a road bike and have been riding Midtown through Decatur to Stone Mountain and back through downtown and GT on weekends for a while now. All in it's about 37-45 miles round trip and traffic isn't too bad. I generally avoid weekdays since there's rush hour traffic and I just ride my rollers to maintain some fitness. The most dangerous part of the whole trip is sadly on 10th and Monroe near Piedmont where people are always in a rush for some reason. I've almost been hit 5-6 times just in that 1 mile stretch mostly by people flooring it to turn in front of me.

Back when I lived out in the Marietta suburbs, I would take my bike out to Big Creek(Old Alabama Rd) in Alpharetta or Blanket's Creek (Sixes Rd) in Woodstock. These days if weather is good, I'll drive up to Old Alabama and do some work from Starbucks before taking off early to do a little biking. It's about 20miles from Midtown so its passable if you go before rush hour. I used to take my bike in with me to the days I went into the office in Norcross and spend a few hrs at Big Creek.

As for the trails themselves...I much prefer Blanket's. It's smoother, more spread out, true elevation changes, and less likely to huck a rock into your frame. I can do 30 miles off road at Blankets while 13 miles at Big Creek makes me feel totally beat up.

[gt6974a]

Soap Creek on the Hooch, I used to Mtn Bike there years ago.

[10scoachrick]

Check out the Southern Bicycle League, bikesbl.org, for numerous intown rides, some along the intown paths, others on 'safer' streets. The 'paths' in Atlanta tend to be bike lanes added to existing roads rather than a dedicated bike-only trail(many discussions on the SBL site regarding paths). The ABC, Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, is a bike advocacy organization that would welcome your input regarding safe cycling in Atlanta.

Both organizations have regular intown and out-of-town rides that offer safety in numbers. I'll bet the Freight Room ride in Decatur on Saturday will have at least 2 dozen riders...have a cold one at Mellow Mushroom for me! Tell'em CoachRick says "Howdy" from Austin.

[Mishap]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Soap Creek on the Hooch, I used to Mtn Bike there years ago.

Sope Creek is mostly closed off to bikers and they added some stupid stair steps on the only trail that allowed bicycles. It's maybe 5 miles for a loop so not very much biking. Also the crushed gravel path is hell on keeping the drivetrain in good shape. It's about 15 min from Buckhead but I think it's worth the extra few minutes to go to Big Creek.

[Herr_Brush]

The Johnson Ferry section of Chattahoochee NRA (at the end of columns drive), and also the Azalea trail in Roswell. These both follow the river.