Quick stats:
Length: 4 miles (loop)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Highlights: The hike visits the ruins of a textile mill destroyed in the Civil War and travels the rocky bluffs of a rushing whitewater creek – all within minutes outside of Atlanta.

This four mile hiking trail leaves from the Sweetwater Creek State Park visitor center (officially named the “blue trail”), following blue blazes as it travels several miles through deciduous forest, both climbing and descending as the trail approaches and runs along the banks of the rushing Sweetwater Creek.

At 1 mile, after climbing and descending a series of wide switchbacks, the trail approaches the ruins of the New Manchester textile mill at 1 mile, providing a view of the brick mill ruins from a wooden deck.

The blue trail departs the ruins to travel further into the park, rising and falling more frequently as the trail follows along the creek rushing downstream. The trail descends sharply towards Sweetwater Creek at 1.8 miles, meeting the rushing whitewater of Sweetwater Creek.

The creek tumbles and falls through a rocky creek bed of boulders and rock, creating impressive whitewater rapids throughout this lower area of the creek South of mill ruins. From here, turn left to follow the red blazed trail along the banks of the creek, traveling upstream, meeting the ruins of the New Manchester textile mill again at 2.9 miles.

You’ll leave the mill on the blue blazed trail, retracing the first mile of your hike back to the trailhead at the visitor center and parking area. The visitor center is worth a stop before you leave the park… rated LEED platinum, it’s listed as the most environmentally responsible building in Georgia, featuring a vegetative roof, solar power, rainwater capture and reuse, among other environmentally friendly building features.

Parking fee: $5 daily parking.

Directions and more info on Sweetwater Creek can be found on the Georgia State Parks site at www.gastateparks.org/SweetwaterCreek.

Check out our HD video review of the Paces Mill / Rottenwood Creek trail:

From the parking and boat ramp area, the trail extends flat along the Chattahoochee River, following North along the river bank.

The trail passes under the huge overpass of I-75 as the Chattahoochee widens, the river becoming broad and the flow smooth.

The trail turns to the left after crossing a large bridge spanning Rottenwood Creek. Several side trails, both dirt, extend from the paved trail here;  the one closest to the river extends into a more underused section of the park and offers great trail running alongside the Chattahoochee River.

The paved trail follows along the banks of Rottenwood Creek, turning to run over a wooden boardwalk before crossing the creek several more times on large metal bridges.

From here, the trail begins to climb significantly as it winds towards Akers Mill Road.  Continue following the winding path upwards, enjoying – especially in the winter and spring months – the view of the rumbling Rottenwood Creek below.

Begin the decent towards the falls before the trail crosses the creek one last time over a metal bridge which affords views of the sliding waterfall below the I-285 overpass.  This is the most scenic section of the park in our opinion – with a beautiful waterfall and forest nicely juxtaposed with the surrounding urbanism.  As with many of the parks in the Chattahoochee River system in Metro Atlanta, the blend of the city and nature is very nicely combined to allow for great time in the outdoors while staying close to the city.

Having undergone damage during the flood of Fall 2009 (the entire parking area was under considerable water after the Chattahoochee River overflowed its banks), the park has been cleaned up and the parking areas and trails open for use.  New restrooms have been installed in the parking area, and the state is working on further restoration of the picnic area.

Ample parking is available at the Paces Mill parking lot, located off Cobb Parkway inside Interstate 285. Parking is fee-based (currently $3 per car) or available year-round with a Chattahoochee National Recreation Area annual parking pass. GPS Coordinates: 33.869044,-84.455209

Check out our HD video review of Cochran Shoals:

The trail’s first mile and a half winds along the banks of the Chattahoochee River, providing pretty scenery that contrasts with the surrounding suburbs of Atlanta. The trail passes through varied terrain; wetlands, river banks, and young forest as it loops around after approaching the Columns Drive parking area at the North end of the park.

Just after looping around from the Columns Drive parking area, a dirt path extends upward from the main Cochran Shoals trail which connects with the Sope Creek recreation area (see our Sope Creek review here).

Expect plenty of traffic on the trail, especially on weekends and nightly during the warmer months. Despite a large parking area, spaces can be limited during peak times – and parking is available for a $3 per use fee, or if you’re a frequent visitor to the Chattahoochee parks (as we are), a better value is the annual parking pass for $25, available from the park’s website here.

GPS Coordinates: 33.901731,-84.443858

Just outside the 285 Perimeter , Sope Creek offers a series of trails through preserved forest with connecting trails to the well-used Cochran Shoals park on the Hooch (which offers additional hiking as well as an excellent 5k running path – where we trained for our half marathon several years ago).  Part of the charm of these trails, compared to Cochran Shoals, is that they’re much less often used by visitors, and while on the trails, we’re able to relax and forget that we’re in the Atlanta suburbs.  The park is an awesome alternative to a trip to North Georgia – some time in the woods with some pretty scenery without the drive.

Sope Creek borders the East side of the park and runs past the ruins of a paper mill from the 19th century.  The paper mill, built in 1855, destroyed by Union armies during the Civil War and rebuilt several years later, operated until 1902.  The remnants of the foundation and first story walls stand silently in the woods next to Sope Creek.

3-4 miles of hiking trails, well-marked with blue blazes, wind through the woods, intersecting each other as they run beside Sope Creek, around the picturesque Sibley Pond, and ultimately connecting to the Cochran Shoals park.

We’d rate all trails as easy to moderate in difficulty – the moderate trails being the few that descend to Sope Creek and the paper mill ruins at the North section of the park.  The Northern trails run close to Paper Mill Road and are accompanied by the sounds (and sights) of traffic  - hike in on one of the many trails deeper in the park (trail maps are numerous and posted at the parking area and throughout the network of trails) to escape traffic noise and get a little more enjoyment of nature.  The woods here are moderately thick – quickly buffering the sounds of the surrounding suburbs and – we’ve found – letting our minds pretend we’re further from the city as we hike along.

GPS Coordinates: 33.939515,-84.441905