An Evening Walk at McDaniel Farm Park

Ok with the hotter temps here, going to start these as late as possible so it cools down a bit, yet we still have enough daylight.  We will have a good walk for about 75 min....pace will be leisurely to moderate and should cover about 4 miles.  This park mainly has paved trails, which are not ideal, but do allow for easy conversation....and we there are some more natural side trails that we will explore as well.    We will try to time it to take a little break and enjoy the sunset (at 8:40pm) through the trees.  This is obviously more of a social hike than a fitness one but you are still walking for over an hour and getting some fresh air and some exercise, and with good company too...a nice way to end the day.

From http://urbanbaboon.blogspot.com/2007/07/mcdaniel-farm-park.html :

"There is a little park tucked right smack dab in the center of the hustle and bustle of Gwinnett Place Mall area Duluth, which has stands in dramatic contrast to its surroundings, which exudes peace among the chaos that we all live. All the while echoing with a rich history of frontier Gwinnett. If you've been there, you know that I am talking about McDaniel Farm Park. If you haven't been there you ought to go.

This Gwinnett County Park is an 134 acre oasis .....The multiuse path crosses a stream in two places, has gently grades, and takes you through some very nice trees, fields, and flowers.

But there is an additional uniqueness to the park: it is built on land granted to the county by Archie McDaniel. Archie McDaniel and his family lived and farmed this land for generations. It has been kept up as a working subsistence farm and you can stroll among the farm houses, blacksmiths, tenent farmers, and several other buildings. It has an awesome collection of farming equipment. If you guide yourself along the way, there is absolutely no cost.

The three things that impress me the most about this park are: (1) The dramatic difference between the park and the world two minutes outside of it, (2) the nature of the typical Gwinnett Farmer being small and subsistent, rather than the stereotypical Georgia Plantation, and (3) the astonishing fact that the McDaniel Family was farming this piece of land as recently as 1999.

This is the perfect getaway for when there really is no time to get away in Gwinnett. Go there once, you'll see what I mean."

From Atlanta, take I-85 North to Exit 104, Pleasant Hill Rd. Turn left (NE) off the exit and drive 1.0 mi. Turn right on Old Norcross Road and drive .5 mi. Turn left on McDaniel Farm Road...take this straight into the park.

Parking is free and there are restrooms at the trailhead.