Sweetwater Creek Yellow, Red and White Trails

We're going to hike the yellow, red and white trails....in that order....at a brisk pace......seven miles.....in a row......

We'll go fast, but we'll re-group at strategic locations so that no one ends up wandering aimlessly through the woods.

Dogs will also be on this hike.  They like to get wet.  They like to shake.

This is a state park with the $5.00 fee.  Those with annual passes are good to go.

In the interest of time and lack of motivation, I'm going to lift the trail descriptions provided on the Sweetwater Creek website....in part....

Yellow Trail: 3-mile loop. Blazed yellow. Rated moderate to difficult for normal people.  For AOC people, it's rated easy-breezy (that's not on the website).

The Yellow Trail is accessed by entering the Red Trail at the bottom corner of the parking area and then turning left after approximately 150 feet. It then drops into the creek valley and heads upstream to the bridge across Sweetwater Creek. After crossing the bridge the trail turns downstream where, just past the wooden footbridge, you will find a fork in the path. Once we get to the fork in the trail, we're going to take it (Yogi Berra reference.  Also, not on the website).  We'll probably go clockwise around the loop.

Red Trail: 1 mile one way. Blazed red. Rated easy to difficult.  For us, a piece of cake.

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.

White Trail: 3 miles one way. Blazed white. Rated moderate to difficult.  For us, it will be like floating on air.

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 and Blue trails 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.  We're not going to stop to look for birds. Or flowers. Or ferns.  Or other things like that.

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.