Fall foliage viewing at CRNRA

October 10, 8:58 PMAtlanta Hiking ExaminerNathan Sears

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Peak fall colors at CRNRA (c) Nathan Sears

The Chattahoochee provides year round recreation for millions. One of the best seasons to enjoy the string of parks along this river is the fall. With numerous park units offering varied hiking experiences you can get out and enjoy the beauty of park and the changing colors. Atlanta has always been home to dense forest coverage and even as the city has grown exponentially it has been able to maintain some of this despite the low number of actual parks.

Of the few parks the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area parks provide the best fall foliage-viewing opportunities in the city. Many of the parks provide undeveloped views of the river and the changing colors. These parks protect a diverse population of trees and this means a wide array of colors. Hikes will take you along the river and through dense canopy coverage of ever changing colors. Parks like Gold Branch, Island Ford and Sope Creek have scenic ponds, or Bull Sluice Lake in the case of Gold Branch, which reflect the beautifully changing colors in their still waters. Even the often slow moving Chattahoochee beautifully reflects the bright fall foliage. 

Many of the parks also have particularly scenic streams and creeks along the hiking trails that make for great settings to see the changing colors. In particular check out some of the trails at Cochran Shoals and Island Ford.