It’s time we head inside the Atlanta city limits to find hiking trails, and the Atlanta Beltline is the perfect place! We’ve started with the Atlanta Beltline Northside Trail in Tanyard Creek Park.
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About the Atlanta Beltline
The Atlanta Beltline is a former railway corridor around the city that is undergoing redevelopment. Plans include a streetcar loop, 2,000 acres of parks, and 22 miles of multi-use trails. Segments here and there have already been developed, but the whole loop hasn’t been completed yet.
The Northside Trail Hike
The Northside Trail was the first of the Beltline trails open on the north side of Atlanta. Everywhere I look touts the Northside Trail as the most scenic of the Atlanta Beltline trails, so I decided it would be a great place to begin exploring the Beltline.
You can access the trail through Tanyard Creek Park just off of Collier Road. We parked in a small parking lot across from Overbrook Drive and walk down to the trail. From this parking lot, you can start your hike by going either north on the trail or south. You can easily make a shorter hike by taking either one route or the other, or you can take a long hike by combining the two.
Head North on the Trail
We started our hike by turning left and following the trail to the north. The trail passes underneath Collier Road and follows along Tanyard Creek. Be sure to stop and admire the art painted beneath the bridge.
The trail continues past the Louise G. Howard Park on the left, which as a pavilion and a little lending library. The trail then curves along to pass over the creek again. After the bridge, there is a fork on the left leading to the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center; we took this fork to add some time to our hike but turned around as soon as we reached the courts.
The trail then continues past the Bobby Jones Golf Course before ending at S. Colonial Homes Circle. We then turned around and followed the path back to the parking lot.
This ended the northern portion of our hike at about 1 mile.
Head South on the Trail
From there, we followed the trail to the south. The paved trail follows along Tanyard Creek. Past a playground, the trail crosses Tanyard Creek over a wide bridge. The trail then goes through a covered bridge beneath a 30-foot tall wooden railway and, after forking to the left, by another playground (this one has some fancy play equipment that will send you spinning and make you extremely dizzy, if anyone is interested).
The Northside Trail ends at Ardmore Road, but if you want to keep walking you can go back to the intersection and follow the fork to the right, which will take you on the Tanyard Creek Trail through Ardmore Park under a canopy of trees. The Tanyard Creek Trail ends abruptly at a townhome complex, so we turned back and retraced our steps back to the Collier Road parking lot.
This made for a short 1 mile walk on the southern portion of the trail. Combined with the northern portion, the entire hike is about 2 miles.
Hiking Essentials
Come prepared for your hike by making sure you pack the essentials. Check out this must-have hiking gear before you set off on the trails:
Nearby Hiking Trails
Looking for more hiking trails in Atlanta? Check out more of these amazing Georgia hikes:
Ready to visit Atlanta, Georgia? Plan your trip with these tips.
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- Save on Attractions: Save 44% on admission to Atlanta’s top attractions using the Atlanta CityPASS.
Cheers!
Paige
What is your favorite part of the Atlanta Beltline to hike? Let me know in the comments!
