Hiking the Vickery Creek Trail at Roswell Mill

The Vickery Creek Trail at Roswell Mill is one of my favorite post-work hikes in Roswell. It’s shady, scenic, and easy to switch up each time thanks to more than 5 miles of connecting trails through the forest.

I’ve hiked here a few times when I wanted a quick nature escape without driving far. Along the way, you can cross the covered bridge, follow the creek, spot deer in the woods, and make your way to the Roswell Mill waterfall.

If you’re planning to hike Vickery Creek, here’s what to expect on the trail, how difficult it is, and what to know before you go.

Vickery Creek Trail Hike

The Vickery Creek Trails are part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. You can access them from a few different parking areas, like the Riverside Vickery Creek Unit off Riverside Road, Old Mill Park off Mill Street, or at the Oxbo Trail Parking Lot along Oxbo Road.

We always start our hike at Vickery Creek Old Mill Park because the parking is free and it’s usually pretty easy to find a parking space after work.

Hiking the Vickery Creek Trail

From Old Mill Park, the hike begins by sloping down to the Vickery Creek Old Mill Machine Shop, park of the ruins of Roswell Manufacturing Company Mills that were burned during the Civil War.

Follow the gravel path past the Machine Shop and up the river; this will take you past even more mill ruins and along a waterside trail that leads to the Historic Vickery Creek Dam/Roswell Mill Waterfall.

The City of Roswell has restricted water access on this side of the creek to preserve the natural environment and keep visitors safe, so please respect the boundary and stay on the trail! You can view the waterfall from a wooden viewing platform.

From there, retrace your steps back to the Machine Shop.

The then trail crosses the Historic Roswell Mill Covered Bridge that spans Big Creek and connects Old Mill Park to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

The covered bridge provides a great view of the mill ruins and the creek.

As you can see by the National Parks map, the trails are a maze of connecting loops, but there are markers at each intersection. So you can take any route you want for a nice hike.

For a short hike, our typical route consists of 15, 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, 18, 17, 16, and ending again at 15. We always hike counter clockwise to end at the mill.

Though the map doesn’t show it, they’ve added in stairs that will take you from marker 15 to 14, so now it’s a much easier climb down to the waterside.

Taking the large outer loop will be about a 3 mile hike. (Markers 15, 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 25, 18, 17, 16, 15.)

You can take two quick detours to see the dams: at marker 26, cross the bridge to see the newer dam and waterfall (pictured on the left); at marker 16, turn right to marker 19 to see the old dam (pictured on the right). The old dam is the same one you can see from the Old Mill Park side.

The Old Roswell Mill Dam at marker 19 once powered Roswell Mill downstream during the Civil War. The mill was burned by Union forces in 1864 then rebuilt and used until it was destroyed by fire again in 1926.

If you want a longer hike, about 5 miles or so, you can basically double back on yourself. At marker 25, go back to marker 20, 7, 8, 9, 10. You’ll have the choice of completing your journey by taking marker 11 and 15, or detouring to the old dam at marker 17, 16, 19, 16, and 15, depending on how long you want to stretch out your hike.

There are so many possibilities hiking these trails!

Vickery Creek Trail at Roswell Mill Info

Hike length: 5+ miles round-trip depending on which route you take

Difficulty: Moderate

Is it pet-friendly?: Yes, leashed dogs are allowed on this trail.

Location: Vickery Creek Park Trail, Roswell, GA 30075

Parking: Parking is available at Old Mill Park, Riverside Vickery Creek Unit, and the Oxbo Trail parking lot. Parking is free at Old Mill Park and Oxbo Trail.

Fees: Parking is free at Old Mill Park and Oxbo Trail. $5 parking fee at Riverside Vickery Creek Unit.

Hours: The trail is open from sunrise to sunset.

Accessibility: The Vickery Creek Trail is an unpaved dirt trail that has slight inclines and exposed rocks and roots.

About the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Even though we typically access the trails from Vickery Creek Old Mill Park, which is a City of Roswell park, the trails are actually officially part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

This conservation area preserves a 48-mile stretch along the Chattahoochee River. There are tons of things to do along the river, like hiking the trail, biking, paddling the river or shooting the ‘Hooch, and exploring historic sites.

More Chattahoochee River Hiking Trail

Explore more of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area with some of my favorite waterfront hikes:

• Cochran Shoals Trail
• East Palisades Trail
• Sope Creek Trail
• Island Ford Trail

• Hiking the Island Ford Trail
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• Top 10 Restaurants in Roswell
• Your Guide to Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in Roswell

Cheers!

Paige

Have you hiked the Vickery Creek Trail at Roswell Mill in Roswell, Georgia? Let me know in the comments!