I recently ran from Woody Gap trailhead to the top of Blood Mountain and back for the first time…read morewhich totaled around 16.5 miles round trip. It is a very beautiful section to hike, run and/ or camp on! Along the route you will pass over Preachers Rock! This is one of the best spots to watch sunrise if you're able to get up there before it begins! It is just over a mile from the parking lot of Woody Gap to the top of Preachers Rock. Along the route to Blood Mountain you will pass several designated camping spots (free to camp, first come first serve). I have yet to camp on this section, but I've picked a couple spots to try out next time! There are 3 water crossings along the route that you can fill up at; just make sure to filter the water before you drink it. I recommend bringing a Sawyer Mini water filter. It fits into the palm of your hands, so it doesn't take up any room in your pack. The trail itself is very easy to follow. I was a little nervous at first that I may get off course or take a wrong turn/ trail, but I can assure you that there is only one main trail that runs from Woody to Blood. There are some side trails that intersect, BUT they either lead to campsites or shelters. As long as you stay on the main trail, it is hard to get lost! I can't wait to go Bach again and run from Woody Gap to Neel Gap which will be around 20 miles round trip.

It was a 30 minute hike and worth it because the view is beautiful! It's a little steep towards the…read moreend but it's doable.

Wonderful park with a creek running alongside. It has a splash pad, picnic table and ample amount…read moreof different spaces where kids and adults alike can enjoy. Our kids had a wonderful time. As a family you will have wonderful time. Don't forget your picnic food and mat.

Great park with lots of trails and paths, some with hills…read more.. Disc Golf Course... Organized sports...

To get to the parking area for this is a 40 min dirt road drive on beautiful red earth and cliffs…read moreon the side of you going up. The views are beautiful but the drive is something haha. The hike itself is straight forward and beautiful. The makeup of the rocks causes them to appear like they glitter on the trail which was magic to my kids. There is a lean to on the trail they don't suggest using due to erosion. There are two nice metal markers in the rock to denote the official start of the Appalachian trail and what a glorious view you can sit and enjoy the beginning of your life changing journey!

Beautiful views and a wonderful trail to the summit!:) Not a…read moredifficult hike- family/kid friendly. I would recommend hiking the trail earlier in the morning- seems like it gets busy later in the day....

Want to hike in an-out-of-the-way area? Cool. Want to hike in an out-of-the-way area that also used…read moreto be a Cold War nuclear research facility that still contains relic structures of when it operated? If so, Dawson Forest is your place. Dawson Forest is a huge tract of forested land operated by the Georgia Forestry people but owned by the City of Atlanta, bisected by the Etowah River and located just southwest of Dawsonville. It's open to the public for hiking, horse riding and bicycles, although there are some calendar/time restrictions because it's also a hunting area. Get there by taking Dawson Forest Rd from Highway 9 just north of Silver City. At the time of this review, the Yelp map marker is wrong. I submitted a correction but Yelp is not very good with that. Wait, owned by the City of Atlanta? Yep. Apparently they bought the land as a possible site for a second major airport from Lockheed - which used it for the site of the Georgia Nuclear Aircraft Laboratory - but found it was unsuitable. It's been owned by the city since the early 1970's and is maintained as an experimental forest for the use of Georgians. Wait, what!? A nuclear aircraft laboratory!? Yep. The US Air Force commissioned Lockheed to explore the feasibility of powering bombers with nuclear reactors. It didn't pan out, but only after quite a bit of effort. The site contained a nuclear reactor, a hot cell test facility, support buildings and a really bizarre test facility whereby a reactor was elevated by cables between four towers to test ... well, I'm not sure what. But in the process, they managed to kill off all the wildlife in the area. It was quite an operation. You can still find numerous structures on the site including two fenced off areas that contain the hot cell facility and the reactor. I prowled around the hot cell building fence but didn't go to the reactor area. In case you're contemplating mischief, they're pretty serious about the fences. You don't want to go in there. More photos and videos are available on the GNAL Facebook page (everyone has a FB page, even derelict nuclear sites): https://www.facebook.com/Dawson-Forest-GNAL-154640534555862/ Air Force video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXd9JSJbrsU Other than the odd relic nuke structure and the ghosts of millions of murdered critters, you'll find miles of hiking trails (or horse trails, if that's your thing). The trails are accessed either from the main visitor information area (which is just a large board with the usual information set among weirdly out-of-place concrete pads and sidewalks) or from trail heads off the numerous unpaved roads that interlace the site. Most of the roads are quite passable by passenger cars, but some require high clearance and 4WD. At one point as I travelled to the northern half of the forest, I had to cross Shoal Creek. I suppose you could do it in your Honda Civic, but I put my Nissan Pathfinder into 4WD-Low to cross. One note on the roads - you can access (or egress) Dawson Forest from the north but it requires passing through a couple of miles of Georgia Wilderness area and there are signs that pronounce it highly illegal for any citizen to trespass without possessing one of two permits (hunting/fishing license or something else). Neither of which I had and I drove on anyway. I'm a rebel. A second note on roads - there is a trail map available at the visitor info area that along with all the colored trails shows the roads in the Forest, and the names aren't necessarily what shows on Google Maps. Trailmap: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/dawson-forest-dawsonville?select=_MLh00vz2UpkgKfehZ0xag The main entrance road, for example, is shown as Reactor Rd while Google says it's Dawson Forest Rd. I believe Reactor Rd is the historical name. It makes a bigger difference when it comes to Clark Rd. Google says that road is a continuation of Dawson Forest Rd to the river, while the map has Clark as a dirt road going off to the west from Reactor Rd. I didn't do a lot of hiking - this was mainly a recon mission. But from where I did walk, there appears to be a lot of signage indicating the trails - blue, yellow, purple, etc. I think the trails fairly well marked, although as I was on the blue trail near the Etowah River (at the end of Reactor Rd), I noticed the blue tree markings abruptly ended. Not sure what was going on there. Horse trails are easier to follow, because, well ... horses. I can't believe I didn't know about this place before. Over the past three years or so (before I became obsessed with golf), I've made an effort to visit all the Atlanta regional hiking spots and I totally missed Dawson Forest. If you look on Google Maps, you'll see a very large and prominent green square denoting the Forest. Not sure how I missed that. I'm a big fan of wildlife and wilderness areas open to the public, and Dawson Forest is no exception. The history of the place adds interest. 5 stars

This review is for the Edge of the World hiking trail and park. It is in the Dawson forest as well…read more Parking is minimal (cars were parked on the main highway as well). Beautiful scenery and a boardwalk that runs next to the Amicalola Creek river. Flowers grow along the sides of the river, and there are benches along the way to sit and take it all in or enjoy a picnic. Boating/wading in the water/tubing are also options but there are big rocks jutting in the middle of the river near the boardwalk. Trails lead up and into the woods from the boardwalk...definitely my favorite part! It is a blue marked trail that runs a loop just under 3 miles. It's marked all along the way, and goes inland enough that you can enjoy the peace and quietude, along with changing landscape on a well paved dirt path that goes up and down. It's a good workout...I would call it an easy-to-moderate hike due to the hills and dirt path. Suggest downloading the All Trails app or finding a map so you have a reference during the hike, as it it quite windy and connects with the red/pink trail as well. There are signs for park fees but we didn't have to pay/there was nobody manning it and there was no gate (perhaps due to COVID or the holiday weekend?). Also a pretty drive from the city to

We had a great experience here. Everyone was very friendly and kept asking if we enjoyed it. The…read moreriver is nice and calm (pretty low so be prepared to get stuck on some rocks). It was not crowded at all but we did go on a weekday. I like the perk of going as many times as you want but it is a walking trail to get back so might not be ideal with young kids.

We stopped by for a 2-hour kayaking trip, but unfortunately, no one was at the facility when we…read morearrived. The place appeared well-organized and inviting, so we waited for about ten minutes. Eventually, an employee arrived in a van, seemingly returning from a pick-up run. He asked how he could assist us, and I mentioned that we were interested in the 2-hour paddle--their most popular option--referencing the sign that clearly stated it was available anytime before 3 PM. We had arrived just after 2 PM. However, he informed us that they were closed and no longer offering that paddle for the day. I pointed out that both the sign and the website indicated that the last drop-in time was 3 PM. He acknowledged this but explained that since it was towards the end of the season and business was slow, they had decided to close early to avoid losing money. It would be helpful if the website and signage were updated to reflect these changes, or at the very least, if the information was honored. We had planned this activity for our afternoon during our short stay in North Georgia, and it was disappointing to find it unavailable despite the posted information.