Outdoor Adventures in Atlanta? (Sandy Springs, Roswell: for rent, home, neighborhood)

[september35]

I am considering relocating to Atlanta metro or the Charlotte area. I am wondering if anyone could answer a few questions about outdoor activities in Atlanta...... Is there a good urban greenway in the metro area for running (Piedmont Park is more of a park to me than a greenway system)? How easy is it to leave the metro area on a weekend to go hiking or kayaking? How far a drive is it to good hiking areas? Does Atlanta have a group for organizing outdoor adventures? Charlotte I know has CHOA. Someone told me they didn't think that Atlanta was an "outdoorsy" city, but I find this really hard to believe. Can anyone elaborate? Access to the outdoors is such an important factor for me.

[neil0311]

There are some great things to do outdoors just on the northside of town, and plenty of stuff in other parts as well. In Cobb County, you have the Chattachoochee National Recreation Area, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (great hiking trails), and Allatoona Lake.

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Allatoona Lake

In Gwinnett, Forsyth, Hall and Dawson Counties you have Lake Lanier:

Lake Sidney Lanier, US Army Corps of Engineers

Georgia Lakeside Resort: Lake Lanier Islands Resort in Georgia

Of course there is always Stone Mountain:

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/

[RainyRainyDay]

Re greenways, there's the Silver Comet Trail on the northwest side of the city: Silver Comet Trail Georgia - Welcome

Further east, in North Fulton county, there's the much smaller Big Creek Greenway: City of Alpharetta Website || Big Creek Greenway Trail

[rackensack]

The City of Roswell, just north of Atlanta, makes a great jumping-off point for much of what the area has to offer. Besides having several units of the Chattahoochee National Recreation area (the river forms the southern border of the city for several miles) within or close by, the city has also established parkland along most of the northern bank of the Chattahoochee, from near the Martin's Landing neighborhood along Riverside Road through Don White Park (under the GA 400 bridge over the river), Riverside Park, and Azalea Park. While not officially designated a "greenway", this linear park system offers nearly four miles of continuous paved paths along and near the river, and is quite popular with runners, walkers, and cyclists. Azalea Park is also home to vendors with canoes, kayaks, and river tubes for rent. Downtown Roswell is also home to Go With the Flow, a specialty canoe/kayak/boat store (Elizabeth Court at Canton Street).

The Vickery Creek Unit of the CNRA is across Riverside Road from Riverside Park, and offers extensive (and moderately difficult, in places) hiking trails, while also connecting directly to the quaint downtown area (the town of Roswell is actually older than Atlanta proper). The Jones Bridge, Island Ford (across the river from Roswell in Sandy Springs), Gold Branch, Johnson Ferry, and Sope Creek units of the CRNA also offer extensive trails and are within the city or within a very short distance from it.

The Big Creek Greenway, mentioned above, is intended to be connected at some point with the the City of Roswell's Big Creek Park (they adjoin at the city limits, but Roswell has only developed mountain biking trails so far on its side).

A good resource to check out would be Helen and Ren Davis' books, Atlanta Walks: A Comprehensive Guide to Walking, Running, and Bicycling Around the Area's Scenic and Historic Locales (http://peachtree-online.com/product/2742.aspx - broken link), and Georgia Walks: Discovery Hikes Through the Peach State's Natural and Human History (http://peachtree-online.com/product/2763.aspx - broken link). Both provide all the details you'll need to find and enjoy enough outdoor spots in the Atlanta area and throughout Georgia for a long time.

Here's a list of the whitewater opportunities within an hour of Atlanta: Rafting Rivers Near Atlanta (http://www.atlantarafting.com/riverinfo.html - broken link) .

Of course, there are lots of great opportunities for full-blown outdoor adventure with a few hours of downtown Atlanta -- the southern endpoint of the Appalachian Trail is near Springer Mountain, less than 2 hours away up GA 400. Fabulous whitewater rivers for canoeing/kayaking/rafting are less than 3 hours away in north Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina (the Chattooga, Ocoee, Nantahala, and Pigeon rivers, plus several others). Many of Georgia's state parks also offer extensive hiking trails: Amicalola Falls, Black Rock Mountain, Fort Yargo, Cloudland Canyon, Smithgall Woods, etc., are just a few of the ones that come to mind.

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by rackensack

Here's a list of the whitewater opportunities within an hour of Atlanta: Rafting Rivers Near Atlanta (http://www.atlantarafting.com/riverinfo.html - broken link) .

And as of about 2 pm today you can add my backyard to the list -- brand new river with Class III rapids has formed running across my yard and down to the creek, which is at least four feet higher than usual.

[september35]

Oh no. So sorry about your backyard. But thanks for all the info!