Healthy Lifestyles archive

You are entering… Hiking Heaven

Spring is the perfect time to get off the couch and go exploring outside. Hiking with the kids, looking for birds and at the new leaves on the trees can disguise the fact that you’re exercising, and it’s a great way to spend some quality family time.

If you need an even better excuse to get outside, how’s winning an annual pass to Georgia State Parks for a reason? Just e-mail us a photo capturing your family’s favorite outdoor park activity and a brief message of how your family plans to get outdoors more in 2008. The winning photos will appear in a future Healthy Lifestyle column, and two families will win park passes for a year. Submit entries to contest@atlantaparent.com.

Red Top Mountain State Park

50 Lodge Rd. SE, Cartersville, GA 30121
Located 45 minutes north of Atlanta, a mile and a half east of I-75, Exit 285

Lakeside Trail
¾-mile loop. Rated easy.
This short paved trail starts at the lodge parking lot and makes a loop alongside the shore of Lake Allatoona. It is wheelchair accessible. A focal point is the 1869 Vaughn cabin; special programs are held at the cabin. No bicycles are allowed on the trail.

Iron Hill Bike Trail
3.9-mile loop. Rated moderate.
The parking lot for this trail is located off Red Top Mountain Road, on the right a half mile past the campground. It is a gravel trail that is accessible to both hikers and cyclists. This scenic trail winds along the banks of the lake through a historic area that was once home to an active iron mining community in the mid 1800s. Along the way you will have the opportunity to observe both native wildlife and a profusion of native plants.

Panola Mountain State Park

2600 Ga. Hwy. 155, SW, Stockbridge, GA 30281
Located 18 miles southeast of Atlanta on Ga. Hwy. 155 via 120, Exit 68

This park offers a 2-mile self-guided nature trail and a 1-mile fitness trail suitable for families with toddlers and small children. Additionally, there is a 12-mile PATH Foundation Trail called Panola Mountain Trailhead that is great for tweens and teens. This paved trail connects Panola Mountain with Arabia Mountain and Stonecrest Mall. It is available for hiking, biking, skating and other non-motorized vehicle use.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

1750 Mt. Vernon Road, Lithia Springs, GA 30122
Located approximately 20 miles west of Atlanta. Take I-20 west to Exit 44 at Thornton Road, turn left and go ¼ mile. Turn right on Blairs Bridge Road, go 2 miles and turn left on Mount Vernon Road.

Red (History) Trail
One-mile, one-way trail. Rated easy to difficult.
The Red Trail, which gets its name from the color it’s blazed, takes you to the New Manchester Mill ruins alongside the white-water rapids of Sweetwater Creek. New Manchester was a town that met its demise during the Civil War. A history guide for the Red Trail is available in the Interpretive Center. The second half of the trail is considerably more strenuous because of the very rocky terrain.

Amicalola Falls State Park

418 Amicalola Falls State Park Rd, Dawsonville, GA 30534
Located 15 miles northwest of Dawsonville on Ga. Hwy. 52. Take Hwy. 53 west to Hwy. 183, and then north to Hwy. 52 east.

Mountain Laurel Loop
1 mile. Rated moderate.
This trail is a loop that runs along the ridge above Amicalola Creek. Sections of the trail can be used along with other trails to connect the lower sections of the park to the upper areas.

West Ridge Falls Access Trail
0.3 miles. Rated moderate to easy.
This trail offers one of the best views of the falls, and it’s one of the easier trails. Trail surface is flat and coated with recycled tires, making it wheelchair accessible.

Lodge Loop
¼-mile loop. Rated easy.
This paved trail is lighted and features educational displays.

For even more ideas on outdoor activities, check out www.gastateparks.org.