Welcome 2016 at Sope Creek - - Starting at Sope Creek Elementary School

Let's start the year off right with a moderately paced hike around Sope Creek, keeping a "healthy" pace, but not a killing one.   PLEASE NOTE:   We're going to park at the Sope Creek Elementary School lot, about 1.4 mile down Papermill Road from the official park entrance.  The lot at Sope Creek is large . . .  and it's FREE!  So we'll gather there and enter the park through a little path.

We'll be taking off at 10:00 am, so arrive 10 minutes early to meet your fellow hikers.  We'll hike into the Cochran Shoals area and eventually loop back into Sope Creek. 

We'll hike for about 2 hours, getting in around 5 miles.  Some of the trails are hilly and rocky, but if you're up for the distance and can handle moderate elevation gain, you should be able to manage this hike. This is NOT a fitness hike, so we'll stop as needed for views of the river, water, or just for a breather. However, if you're a true beginner, this hike might prove to be a little too strenuous for you.

The Sope Creek Elementary School parking lot is on Papermill Road, about 1/2 mile past the Sope Creek bridge, on your left. If you're coming from I-75 on Papermill, it will be on your right at the traffic light at Shadowlawn Road.  The address is 3320 Papermill Road, Marietta, GA.

If you bring your dog, it should be able to keep up with the group and interact well with other dogs and people. The Chattahoochee NRA requires that owners keep their dogs on a leash and clean up after their pets on the trails. Please be willing to keep your dog on leash out of consideration to other hikers, because it's the law and because the reputation of the AOC is damaged when members break the leash law.

Limit of 3 dogs, please!

Sope Creek Elementary School Parking Lot (Paper Mill Road)

Latitude: 33.935803 |  Longitude: -84.453363

3320 Paper Mill Rd SE
Marietta, GA

Directions: Take Interstate 75 North out of Atlanta to Windy Hill Road (exit 260). Turn right on Windy Hill Road, and then left on Powers Ferry Road. At the intersection of Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill Road, take a right on Terrell Mill. Take a right on Paper Mill Road; the elementary school entrance is approximately 1/2 mile further on Paper Mill Road on the right (at the traffic light).

From Johnson Ferry Road, cross the river going North; turn left at the Paper Mill Road intersection, past the Columns Drive light.  Stay on Paper Mill as it winds along to the Sope Creek bridge.  Once you cross the bridge, go to the traffic light (about 1/2 mile from the bridge) and turn left into the parking lot..

If you're traveling south on Johnson Ferry Road, turn right at Paper Mill Road and proceed according to the directions above.

Trail Map - http://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/upload/TrailMapSopeCreek.pdf

Don't forget to bring $3 cash for parking!

No bathroom facilities at this location, but the trees and bushes provide good cover!

3320 Paper Mill Rd SE, Marietta, GA 30067, USA
Latitude: 33.935803 |  Longitude: -84.453363