Enjoy your run, but before you start out, remember that Atlanta is a large metropolitan city. Keep alert for traffic and other big-city hazards. It's best to run during daylight hours. Ultimately, your safety is your responsibility.

Downtown Loop 1:

The Peachtree (3-5 miles) From Woodruff Park, take Peachtree Street north to West Peachtree. Take West Peachtree north. Go right at 15th Street to Peachtree Street, then head south on Peachtree back to Woodruff Park for your five mile loop. Should you wish for a shorter run, cross right to Peachtree on North Avenue for a three-mile loop or on 10th for four miles.

Downtown Loop 2:

Piedmont Park via Peachtree and 10th Streets (7 miles) Piedmont Park is one of Atlanta's loveliest running locales. From Woodruff Park, take Peachtree Street north to 10th Street. Turn right on 10th and continue a few blocks to the Charles Allen entrance to Piedmont Park, a total distance of 3 miles. Running the outer road within the Park will give you an additional 1.1 miles. Take the same route home.

Oakland Cemetery

Located 1/2 mile from the capitol, near GA State and Grady Hospital, this historic site welcomes hundreds of runners every week. Visit their website at www.oaklandcemetery.com

By MARTA:

The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is the town's excellent rail-bus system. Several rail stations are located near good running areas and are just a few subway minutes from the Five Points and Peachtree Center stations. Trains run frequently. For schedule information, call (404)848-4711 or visit www.itsmarta.com.

Alpharetta (Big Creek Greenway – North Point):

For directions and information visit their web page www.georgiatrails.com/maps/bigcreek.html.  They also have links on their web page to trails in other parts of Georgia, including the Appalachian Trail. The Big Creek Greenway is a non-motorized paved path that is approximately 6 miles long. There is also a soft mulch path off from the main trail.

Brookhaven:

One of Atlanta's most scenic neighborhoods, Brookhaven's streets contain a popular three-mile loop. To get there, take the Northeast MARTA line to the Brookhaven Station. (Note: Make sure the signs on your train list "DORAVILLE" as the destination.) Then cross Peachtree to Brookhaven Drive (Dunkin' Donuts on the corner). A short way ahead you'll come to a fork near a golf course. Turn right, and thereafter bear left at every intersection: This will take you on a three-mile loop around the golf course. Of course, you can go the other way around, too.

Run the Peachtree:

It may not be July 4th, and you can't go down the middle of the street, but you can still do the Peachtree course. Take the Northeast MARTA line to the Lenox Station, go up (west) Lenox Road to Peachtree. Turn left on Peachtree, the actual start is opposite the Lenox Mall marquee. As you head down Peachtree on either side of the road, look for the small orange peach outlines on the sidewalk at each mile point. Miles 2-3 slope down, 4-5 are up. (Peachtree Creek, in the middle, was the last natural barrier, and the last great Confederate resistance to Sherman's troops during the Civil War). Just after the five mile mark, turn left at 14th Street into the park and stay on the main road to the left. You'll see the big orange finish line painted on the road near the Charles Allen Drive exit onto 10th Street. A right on 10th, then left on Peachtree takes you back to Woodruff Park. Ta-daaa! (You may prefer to just stay on Peachtree and not turn at 14th Street. Two and a half miles more gets you back to Woodruff Park.)

Other MARTA stops:

Other nearby neighborhoods conducive to good running and walking are easily reached by the eastbound MARTA line. Inman Park isn't far from town and you can get there via the Inman Park-Reynoldstown Station. One station further up is the Candler Park area (Edgewood-Candler Park). McLendon and Euclid streets, or Ponce de Leon Avenue can bring you back to town. Two more stops will take you to Decatur, a small, thriving town with some beautiful streets and homes around Agnes Scott College.

Silver Comet Trail (Cobb, Paulding and Polk Counties) and Atlanta/DeKalb Trails:

For details and access points, please call the PATH office at (404) 875-7284 or visit their web page at www.pathfoundation.org. The Silver Comet Trail offers 37 miles of paved trails open from dawn to dusk for non-motorized forms of transportation (running, walking, roller blading and biking). The Atlanta/DeKalb Trails offer 124 miles of paved trails in various locations in and around the Atlanta/DeKalb area (some non-motorized paths). For a complete map visit their web page.

Stone Mountain:

Thirty minutes east of Atlanta, Stone Mountain looms as the largest piece of exposed granite on the earth. (It's part of a vein that continues through Alabama.) It's loaded with recreational opportunities including numerous footpaths and trails.

 

Take I-85 north to I-285 east towards Augusta. Exit US 78 east toward Athens. A few miles later, take the Stone Mountain Park exit (not the exit for the town of Stone Mountain.) The park entrance is right around the turn; there's a fee of $8.00 per car.

 

Once inside, proceed to the main parking lot near the railroad depot. There are two road loops, 5 and 8 miles, that go around the mountain, and runners start both by heading west (right, facing the railroad tracks) on Robert E. Lee Blvd. At about two miles the loops split where Stonewall Jackson Drive splits off to the right: 5-milers stay straight, 8-milers take the right. The shorter loop is gently rolling, and by staying left runners return to the parking area. The 8-miler contains a long hill about halfway, as well as a dramatic view of the lake. When you reach the golf course, keep left to return to Robert E. Lee Blvd. and the railroad depot.

 

For hikers and off-road runners, there are any number of trails to explore, or you can climb the mountain itself. The western slope, near the Memorial Drive entrance, is accessible to climbers, and every Easter morning hundreds make the trek at dawn for sunrise services. And once you've climbed it, you can always take the tram down! The cost to ride the tram down from the top is $6.40. For information, call (770) 498-5600 or visit www.stonemountainpark.com

The Chattahoochee:

The flat trails of the lazy "hooch" are beautifully situated within 15 minutes of the city, and therefore very popular. You'll see lots of tots in strollers and Beamers in the parking lots.

 

From I-75 north, take I-285 (the perimeter highway) east towards Augusta. Exit soon at Northside Drive; turn left on Northside Drive, which circles around and crosses onto Interstate North Parkway. [From I-85 north, Take I-285 west, exit Northside Drive, which crosses onto Interstate North Parkway.] River parking lots are next to bridge off Parkway; parking fees may apply. The trail heads north along the river; the Cochran Shoals Fitness Trail is a 3-mile loop with the parking area at Columns Drive as the halfway point. Columns Drive itself can be combined for an 8-miler. Hours are from dawn to dusk.

 

For information, call (770) 399-8070.  Information on this park and all national parks (including nearby Kennesaw National Battlefield, which has many popular trails) is available at www.nps.gov.