Sunday Morning from Cochran Shoals Interstate North to Sope Creek

Please pay careful attention to the starting place for this hike.  It's a parking deck at Wildwood Center on Windy Ridge Parkway off Windy Hill Road (East of Powers Ferry).  We'll be hiking through the Interstate North section of Cochran Shoals, venturing through the middle section all the way to the Sope Creek unit.  

Please pay careful attention to the address and directions to get to the right parking place.  We'll be starting in a free parking deck at the Wildwood Center (2300 Windy Ridge Parkway SE) and entering the unit from a narrow trail that starts there.

We'll hike through some of the trails in this unit, eventually crossing Gunby Creek into the middle section of Cochran Shoals.  We'll access the gravel path for a short distance and then return to the woods, entering middle section of Cochran Shoals.  We'll tackle the trails throughout that area and head toward the Sope Creek Unit.  We will be on trails that can have poison ivy close by.  If you're super- sensitive, long pants or high socks are recommended.  And be prepared for a couple of shallow creek crossings!

We'll eventually circle around to the bathrooms at Columns Drive as we head back to some challenging ascents in the Interstate North section before returning to our cars.

Coordinates to the parking deck are 33.9059932,  -84.4601722

The entrance to Wildwood is off Powers Ferry Road in Marietta.  The entrance to the Wildwood Center parking deck is 2300 Windy Ridge Parkway, SE.  

Turn EAST at the light at Windy Hill Road, toward the Orient Chinese Restaurant (the Hilton Garden Inn is on the other corner).   At the first street (not the little parking lot you immediately pass), turn right onto Windy Ridge Parkway SE.  Keep to the right, as this is a two way road separated by a median.  There's a lot of construction on the right side of the road, but you're in the right place. Pass the first possible left turn (into the North parking deck) and turn left at the second turn at the 2300 Wildwood Center South deck.  Take an immediate left into the free retail parking deck parking on Level 5 (street level).  We'll gather close to the entrance to the parking deck.

The total route might be a little more than the listed 7 miles.