Silver Comet - Dallas to Rockmart - lunch at Knucklehead Cafe

This is a thirty-five mile round trip bike ride that takes in many scenic features of the Silver Comet.  The Silver Comet is a paved rails-to-trail bike trail from Smyrna to the Alabama line.

Basically, we start at the Tara Drummond Trailhead in Dallas and ride to Rockmart where we will have lunch at a restaurant right off the trail in Rockmart.  Then we ride back.

Unlike Rambo, Tara Drummond has flush toilets.

Frankies has closed, so we are trying Knucklehead Cafe for our lunch, which is just as close to the trail.  This establishment caters to Harley riders, but they will accept us as well.  See http://knuckleheadcafe.com/.

The lunch will break up the ride a bit, so perhaps the thirty-five miles will not be so daunting to the less experienced cyclist.  We will go at a moderate pace of around 10-15 mph, so with lunch and breaks, expect to spend about four and a half hours on the trail.

Here is our trip:

We will start riding at 10:00 AM, so be at the trailhead in time to be on your bike and ready to roll at 10:00.

In a few miles we will cross the Pumpkinvine Trestle, which is 750 feet long and 126 feet high.

Then for the next eight miles, we pass thru Paulding Forest, which is basically a hilly mixed woodland.  The hills will not affect us however, since we will be on the old rail bed, with all its cuts and fills.

Before we emerge from the forest, we go thru the 800 foot long Brushy Mountain Tunnel.  We may take a short break on the far side of the tunnel by the little pools.

Then it's mostly open pasture till we get to Rockmart.  We will pass Coot's Lake on the way also.

Rockmart is a town of under 5,000 in Polk County, a Georgia county that borders Alabama.

In Rockmart the trail passes through Riverwalk Park, near downtown.   Knucklehead Cafe is by the park, just across the river from the trail.

After lunch, we ride back to Tara Drummond the way we came.

You can also check www.silvercometga.com and click on Paulding and then Tara Drummond to see a map and directions

Approximate Address:  816 Seaboard Dr, Dallas GA 30157

Directions - Overview

• Tara Drummond Trailhead is in the city of Dallas in Paulding County, Georgia
• It's at the intersection of Seaboard Drive and Hwy-278
• Hwy-278 is northwest of Atlanta, and runs east to west towards Alabama

Directions

• Note: Highway-278 mile markers start over in every county
• Go near mile marker 10 on Hwy-278 in Paulding County
  • Just west of the Paulding Chamber of Commerce
• Two stop lights west of the Hwy-278/Hwy-61 intersection is Seaboard Road
• Tara Drummond Trailhead is on the corner of Hwy-278 and Seaboard Road
• Trailhead is on the south side of Hwy-278
• You will see the Silver Comet Bridge from Hwy-278

www.silvercometga.com/silver-comet-map/silver-comet-map.shtml

You are responsible for your bike on the ride. There may or may not be anyone in the group who can help you fix a flat tire or solve a mechanical issue.

The Paulding County Sheriff's Dept patrols the Paulding section of the trail in Smart cars.  They do pick up stranded riders.  We will be in Polk and Paulding, but the remote part of our ride is in Paulding.