My Favorite Trails in Atlanta

Before I leave town, I wanted to share with you which trails I will miss the most in Atlanta. There are many places to run in this wonderful city (as the Atlanta Trails Map project showed, more than you probably think!). But there are four that I trained on the most and that stick out from the rest.

East Palisades: This is my personal favorite for two reasons. (1) It packs in all types of running terrain (steep, flat, single track, double track, fire road, technical and smooth) into five challenging miles of trail that are exceptionally scenic to boot. Make sure to visit the overlook as well as the bamboo forest. (2) These trails are relatively obscure and used mainly by neighborhood walkers as well as anglers trying to get to remote spots of the Chattahoochee. You'll be running mainly by yourself here.

The start of the East Palisades trail.

Cochran Shoals ("The River")/Sope Creek: One of the most popular trails in the city also has lots of hidden trails that not a lot of people go on. Have you ever been to the graveyard? Or run the powerline hills? Make sure to run by the pond (near Sope Creek parking lot) at sunrise or sunset. It is remarkably beautiful.

SweetH2O State Park: You can find the most technical terrain as well as the steepest hills here. A perfect playground for all trail runners in the city!

During the SweetH2O 50k.

Kennesaw Mountain: This is the perfect place to get your long runs in (as many people do). The trails aren't too challenging until you try to run up the two miles to the top of the mountain. You will run into lots of deer, turkeys, G.U.T.S. members and other wildlife around here.

If you're going to run any of these for the first time some time soon, make sure to let me know how you liked it!