Georgia offers a captivating and varied landscape perfect for biking enthusiasts. There’s the Atlanta metro area, historic coastal towns, north Georgia mountains, and then the plains of south Georgia. With all this diversity, there’s still a shortage of long-distance trails. This article covers the best bike trails in Georgia today with an eye to what’s coming tomorrow.
Silver Comet Trail
The Silver Comet Trail is Georgia’s one big rail trail. It starts just outside of Atlanta in Smyrna, GA, and 61.5 miles later, connects to the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama. On the west end, the Chief Ladiga Trail continues 34 miles to the outskirts of Anniston, Alabama. On the west end, connector trails form a 10-mile loop in Northwest Atlanta.
With its length and quaint trail towns, you can ride on the Silver Comet for a day or long weekend. There’s even a forested section in Alabama through the Talladega National Forest. Silver Comet Trail is a worthy stop for a destination ride or a cycling road trip through the South.
Jekyll Island Trails
There was a time in the early 20th century when Jekyll Island was the most exclusive club in the world. The who’s who of East Coast elites built their winter cottages here, and biking was a suitable socialite activity. Today, more than 20 miles of trails snake around the island, giving you a unique glimpse of nature and history.
You can spend a few days exploring nearby St Simons and Cumberland Island by bike. Then, cross into Florida to continue exploring Amelia Island and St Augustine. All of these rides are more beach cruiser fun than pumping out miles on a road bike, but it’s fun nonetheless.
Big Creek Greenway
The Big Creek Greenway spans 26 miles in north Atlanta, connecting Cummings, Alpharetta, and Roswell. The trail is paved but has road gaps in northeast Alpharetta and another short gap north of Cummings.
The trail follows the drainage of Big Creek, with plenty of shade and wildlife sandwiched between a suburban backdrop. Casual riders will appreciate the relative flatness of the Big Creek floodplain.
AMP (Arabia Mountain PATH)
The PATH Foundation built the Arabia Mountain PATH, connecting Arabia Mountain, Panola Mountain, and the South River. This isn’t a rail trail, as there’s a constant diet of climbs and descents. If you embrace the grind, you’ll discover dense woods and scenic overlooks that make all the hard work worthwhile.
While in Henry County, consider riding along the Martin Luther King Sr. Heritage Trail. You can travel from downtown Stockbridge to the Green Front Cafe and Floyd Baptist Church in less than a mile. It’s a subtle story, but if you listen carefully, you’ll see how this little town in central Georgia went from King Sr.’s birthplace to one of the best southern cities for African Americans to live in.
Stone Mountain Trail
The Stone Mountain Trail is a 19-mile stretch of car-free paths and on-street bike lanes that connects Midtown Atlanta to Stone Mountain Park. Highlights include the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the Carter Center, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, and, of course, Stone Mountain itself. This trail sometimes gets a bad rap between route finding and hill climbing, but if you’re up to the challenge, it’s an opportunity to see some of Atlanta’s best attractions on two wheels.
Atlanta Beltline
According to the Atlanta Beltline website – “The Atlanta Beltline is one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States. This network of public parks, multi-use trails, transit, and affordable housing along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor is enhancing mobility, connecting in-town neighborhoods, and improving economic opportunity and sustainability.”
Your spidey senses should be tingling when affordable housing and economic opportunities are front and center in the trail description. Those things are great, but not necessarily the backbone of a recreational trail. Plus, the trail is about half-finished, and the road connections look a little rough.
Carrollton Greenbelt
The 18-mile Carrollton Greenbelt is the longest paved loop trail in Georgia. Paved, loop, and 20 miles long is a good start for a bike ride. In fact, TripAdvisor lists the GreenBelt as the number one thing to do in Carrollton. There’s also a cat cafe and a quilt museum.
Discovery Bike Trail (Callaway Gardens)
On the subject of cat lady tours of west Georgia, Callaway Gardens’ Discovery Bike Trail is a multi-season attraction worth visiting. The paved, 10-mile path winds through the woodlands and stops at all the gardens and attractions. In the spring, you’ll pedal through 2,500 acres of blooming azaleas. In autumn, the resort comes alive with fall colors, and you don’t want to miss the bike nights through the award-winning Fantasy In Lights display during the holiday season.
Callaway Gardens is also an upscale resort near La Grange, which is working on building its Thread Trail along with local road rides.
Dragonfly Trails (Columbus, GA)
The Dragonfly Trails have Columbus, Georgia, poised to become a destination biking city. The system comprises the breathtaking 12-mile Chattahoochee RiverWalk and the 10-mile Fall Line Trace. The trails join with the 14th Street Pedestrian Bridge that crosses over to the Phenix City Riverwalk. You can spend a weekend playing, pedaling, and paddling on one of America’s best urban whitewater runs.
Wrapping up the Best Bike Trails in Georgia
Georgia has one stellar long-distance trail (Silver Comet / Chief Ladiga) and several bike-and-stay city rides. The time is coming when the Atlanta Beltline will join up the Atlanta trails and you could spend a week cycling through the city. Until then, you’re putting your bike on your car and driving to the trailhead (or gardens).
There are a couple of destination bike cities in Georgia. Jekyll Island does offer stay-and-play cycling steeped in history and ocean views. Columbus has enough centrally located trails and activities along the river to qualify as a car-free vacation spot as well.
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Hi! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-based Gen X couple sharing our stories of amazing adventures through activity-driven transformational and experiential travel.