4.5Sope Creek Trail(123 reviews) - Great Hiking Spent 2-3 hours Hiking Trails • Forests
Sope Creek is a real neat park. It is part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) federal parks along the Chattahoochee River. Sope Creek is used primarily for hiking and biking. Today a group of 10 friends hiked 6 miles around the park. Trails are marked with maps at junctions. Highlights included mill ruins along the creek and an old graveyard in the middle of park. See pics. Medium size parking lot which gets busy on weekends and holidays. Parking fee is required here (currently $5). Three CRNRA units connect together: Sope Creek, Cochran Shoals, and Powers Island. One of my friends said you can do a 17 mile hike if you combine all of them. Nice! Great area and worth a stop. My favorite CRNRA unit is "Island Ford" .... but all of them are worth a stop at least once if you are in the area.See more..
A national forest offering a wealth of outdoor activities.See more..
4.5Big Trees Forest Preserve(21 reviews) - A True Sanctuary! Spent 1-2 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Forests
This is an oasis in the busy Sandy Springs, right on Roswell Road. The trees are huge and tall. You can tell they have been here for a long time. There is a nice creek with crystal water. All the trails are very easy and clearly marked. I took all the trails and walked a few loops on a Thursday morning. I only ran into two people walking their dogs. I enjoyed the peace this place can offer. It is only within a few minutes of driving from my house. I will definitely visit again in the near future.See more..
4.5Oconee National Forest(5 reviews) - Solitude National Parks • Forests I'm very grateful to have this forest close to where I live in Athens, GA. I've only explored the northern end of it, around Scull Shoals and Redlands WMA. Admittedly it does not have the greatest recreation facilities as far as trails go although the Falling Creek loop is nice and there are some other un-named trails presumably for hunters. For those who do not mind bushwhacking and/or walking along the forest roads (which aren't overly rocky at all in my experience) there are many opportunities to enjoy nature. I'm impressed how peaceful it is and how much solitude I usually find there so close to Athens and not too far from Atlanta either. It has been a great introduction to the forests of my new home state of Georgia, from the scruffy loblolly pines on the hilltops to huge old white oaks and tulip poplars in creek bottoms and steep slopes, and the many fine plants and fungi that grow under them.See more..
Whenever we have visitors from out of town, we like taking them to the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area that is located on Dawson Forest Rd just 6 miles west of the North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall. They are always astounded to find the 3-story solid concrete hulk of the cold-war nuclear reactor hiding in the forest. On our most recent visit in June 2021, we found an abundance of wildlife, particularly reptiles. The Eastern Box Turtle laying eggs along the hiking path was fascinating, as was the baby toad smaller.than a bumble bee. Highly recommend a visit.See more..
The color of the water and the beauty of the hike are amazing. The water is super clear and the trails are easy to hike. See more..
3.5Sosebee Cove(3 reviews) - Beautiful drive Spent < 1 hour Forests Sosebee Cove is along the drive from Suches to just north of Vogel SP. There are a lot of curves, but the drive is one of the more beautiful ones in Georgia. The trees in Sosebee Cove are huge!See more..
4.5Cohuttas(2 reviews) - Easier trek from the western side Forests Forest featuring beautiful biking trails.See more..
