Sweetwater Creek White, Red ~ Dog Friendly

This will be a leisurely paced hike at Sweetwater Creek State Park. This is a fun and scenic hike very close to town. I am bring my new Goldendoodle puppy and she is not ready for a faster paced hike. We will complete a 4 mile hike on the white and red trails. 

White Trail: 3 miles one way. Blazed white. Rated moderate to difficult. 

The White Trail passes through some of the most remote areas of the park west of Sweetwater Creek. It connects to the end of the Red trail following the rapids as they continue down the creek. The trail then turns west and follows Jack’s Branch upstream to Jack’s Lake. This stream community has a great variety of spring wildflowers. Hikers will also pass through areas covered with ferns, Bigleaf Magnolias, Wild Azaleas and Mountain Laurel. After climbing out of the lake valley the trail passes through the Jack’s Hill area, a former farming community now known for its open meadows and a favorite of bird watchers.  

Red Trail:  1 mile one way.  Blazed red. Rated easy to difficult.  

The Red Trail, after half a mile, takes you to the impressive New Manchester mill ruins alongside the white-water rapids of Sweetwater Creek and is the recommended hike for first-time visitors. New Manchester was a mid-nineteenth century mill town which met its demise during the Civil War.  The second half mile of the Red Trail, downstream of the mill, continues to follow the rapids to the Sweetwater Falls area and is considerably more strenuous because of the very rocky terrain.

Anyone wanting to hike additional miles will have the option to hike the yellow trail. This will add 3 additional miles. 

Sweetwater Creek State Park hiking trail parking lot near the visitor center: Take I-20 west from Atlanta, exit #44 at Thornton Road, turn left and go 1/4 mile. Turn right on Blairs Bridge Road, go 2 miles and turn left on Mount Vernon Road. Travel a couple more miles and into the park. Just after crossing over the lake, look for a sign that says hiking/nature trails, and take a left there (there is a small entry gate). Continue straight to the end of the road to the parking area.

Will this event occur rain or shine? No, not in severe weather.

There is a $5.00 parking fee at the park.