The trails make for a great in-town hike for beginners and a wonderful weekend stroll for families with children. Most trails in the NRA feature maps and markers at each trail intersection. The river’s flow ranges from glassy, serene stretches to frothy, turbulent whitewater, offering a wide variety of on-water adventures.īut while paddling, fishing, and boating are popular on-water activities on the river, the recreation area is also well-loved for its many miles of running and hiking trails, both paved and unpaved. The river flows wide through metro Atlanta, coursing through angular shoals and over multiple dams. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is a 48-mile-long, 10,000-acre chain of parks that stretch south from the river’s dam at Lake Lanier. And they all offer fantastic options for an in-town outdoor adventure, visiting some of our most-loved spots in the city. They explore wildflower-filled forests, rocky tributary creeks, and sun-drenched meadows and marshlands.
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They scout the remains of a cross-river bridge that was largely heisted by thieves nearly 100 years ago.
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They explore the river’s banks, catching exceptional views from rocky bluffs, visiting historic mill ruins and a spillway waterfall, and trailing through a bamboo grove on the river’s banks. Through decades of conservation and preservation, the river has become one of the metro area’s finest outdoor destinations, and our favorite trails along the river explore some of Atlanta’s most scenic outdoor terrain. The Chattahoochee River makes a run through metro Atlanta from its headwaters near the Appalachian Trail in North Georgia.