Saturday Morning at East Palisades- Indian Trail Entrance

I'm back from DC and sorely needing to get onto the trails after almost two weeks of sitting around, either in a car or on a couch.  It will be challenging, but I've got to do it.  Come join me and help me up the hills!

Saturday morning looks like a great time for a hike!  The temperatures will be mild and cloudy, with just a 20% chance of showers.  We will hike at a moderate pace for about 6.5 miles of the trails in this section of the Chattahoochee NRA including areas along the river as well as several hills.  We'll be adding some distance and hills to what would otherwise be a D2 hike so that we edge into the D3 range, but we'll keep the pace briskly moderate and steady.  Because of the elevation, pace, distance, and terrain, this is NOT a good hike for beginners.
 
East Palisades offers several miles of trails that connect to a scenic overlook that provide excellent views of the Devil's Racecourse Shoals.  The rugged granite palisades were called the Devil's Stairsteps during the 19th century by river boatmen because the shoals "were the devil" to navigate.  

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. A maximum of three dogs will be permitted on this hike.

Please note the directions for parking at the Indian Trail entrance to the park. This entrance has a long gravel road that should be navigated at a very slow speed to minimize the chance of hitting a pot hole. (The worst pot hole is just as you enter the gravel path down the cement entrance!)  And remember to bring $3 cash for the National Park Service parking fee, unless you have a Chattahoochee NRA annual pass.

Repeat:  Drive SLOWLY as soon as you leave the paved road and get onto the gravel path!  There are dips and potholes that appear suddenly, so be careful!  Also, you may have to pull over for oncoming cars.

NO BATHROOM FACILITIES AT THIS LOCATION  :-(

INDIAN TRAIL PARKING LOT

1425 Indian Trail NW

Sandy Springs, GA 30327

GPS Coordinates:  33.884290, -84.43679605

From eastbound Interstate 285

• Take exit 22, Northside Drive, New Northside Drive, and Powers Ferry Road.
• Right on Northside Drive to Powers Ferry Road.
• Go through Intersection at Powers Ferry Road and 1.1 Miles to Indian Trail.
• Right On Indian Trail and will dead end at the unit's entrance.

 From westbound Interstate 285

• Take exit 22, Northside Drive, New Northside Drive, and Powers Ferry Road.
• Straight to the second traffic light.
• Left onto Northside Drive to Powers Ferry Road.
• Go through the intersection at Powers Ferry and 1.1 miles to Indian Trail.
• Right on Indian Trail and will dead end at the unit's entrance

Remember to bring $3.00 cash for a parking pass, unless you have an annual pass to the CNRAreas.

Trail Map -https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/upload/TrailMapPalisadesEast .pdf

NO BATHROOM FACILITIES at this park