March 12, 2025
Lifestyle, Feature, Features, Featured, Guides,
Whether you’re looking to expand your horizons or break new ground on a new scenic view, these Atlanta hiking trails exceed expectations with awe-inspiring rivers, lush forests and breathtaking mountains.
Cascade Springs Nature Preserve
View this post on Instagram
2852 Cascade Road / Website
Situated in Atlanta’s Cascade Heights neighborhood, this 120-acre nature preserve is an urban oasis, complete with a main trail, a stunning waterfall, beautiful streams and convenient picnic tables. While you’re there, explore historic relics from the past, including the moss-covered historic springhouse and Civil War-era earthworks.
East Palisades Trailhead
View this post on Instagram
4058 Whitewater Creek Road NW / Website
Situated on the Chattahoochee River, this picturesque hiking trail is known for its sprawling bluffs and serene bamboo grove. With over four miles of hiking and running trails, the East Palisades Trailhead offers ample views of creeks, sky-high bamboo stalks and the riverbed, with sounds of whitewater rapids audible as the trail meanders along Long Island Creek.
Morningside Nature Preserve
View this post on Instagram
2020 Lenox Road NE / Website
With over 30 acres of flourishing forests, this northeast Atlanta nature preserve is a favorite among locals for its stunning hiking, walking and running trails. The woodland sanctuary offers proximity to the shores of the popular South Fork Peachtree Creek “dog beach,” with ample opportunities to spot the abundant local wildlife.
Sope Creek Paper Trail
View this post on Instagram
Paper Mill Road SE, Marietta / Website
Nestled at the intersection of Paper Mill Road and Sope Creek in Cobb County, this destination features industrial ruins and over three miles of hiking, mountain biking and running trails. As visitors travel alongside the babbling Sope Creek, the site’s vast network of trails intersects with a hardwood forest, a reflective pond and the remnants of a historic paper mill that was destroyed during the Civil War.
Sweetwater Creek State Park
View this post on Instagram
1750 Mount Vernon Road, Lithia Springs / Website
Located approximately 15 miles west of Atlanta, Lithia Springs State Park impresses with 2,549 acres of sprawling terrain. The park includes a wooded trail that follows the stream to the ruins of the Manchester Manufacturing Company, a historic textile mill that burned during the Civil War. The trail continues along fields, forests and jagged bluffs, which reveal stunning views of the rapids below.
Photography by: Photo courtesy of Getty Images
