Early Saturday Morning at East Palisades- Indian Trail Entrance

Let's add a little variety to our recent East Palisades hike.  This time, we'll not only see the overlook deck, the bamboo forest, and the rock overlook, but we'll catch the cave as well . . . an often overlooked feature of East Palisades.  We will hike at a moderate pace for about 4.5 to 5 miles of the trails in this section of the Chattahoochee NRA including areas along the river as well as a few hills.  If you've wanted to hike at East Palisades but can't handle a fast pace, come along!  (Beware!  This is NOT a good hike for beginners or for folks who can't handle a moderate pace on hills!)
 
East Palisades offers several miles of trails that connect to a scenic overlook that provide excellent views of the Devil's Racecourse Shoals.  The rugged granite palisades were called the Devil's Stairsteps during the 19th century by river boatmen because the shoals "were the devil" to navigate.  

If you bring your dog, it should be able to keep up with the group and interact well with other dogs and people. The Chattahoochee NRA requires that owners keep their dogs on a leash and clean up after their pets on the trails. A maximum of three dogs will be permitted on this hike.

Please note the directions for parking at the Indian Trail entrance to the park. The street sign for Indian Trail was missing recently, so without a GPS, it's hard to find.  There's a house on the opposite side of the road with a white fence . . .  so you'll know you're turning at indian Trail road.  After about a quarter of a mile on asphalt, you'll see the CNRA trailhead sign.  This begins a long gravel road that should be navigated at a very slow speed to minimize the chance of hitting a pot hole.  

Remember to bring $3 cash for the National Park Service parking fee, unless you have a Chattahoochee NRA annual pass.

NO BATHROOM FACILITIES AT THIS LOCATION  :-(

1425 Indian Trail NW

Sandy Springs, GA 30327

GPS Coordinates:  33.884290, -84.43679605

From eastbound Interstate 285

• Take exit 22, Northside Drive, New Northside Drive, and Powers Ferry Road.
• Right on Northside Drive to Powers Ferry Road.
• Go through Intersection at Powers Ferry Road and 1.1 Miles to Indian Trail.
• Right On Indian Trail and will dead end at the unit's entrance.

 From westbound Interstate 285

• Take exit 22, Northside Drive, New Northside Drive, and Powers Ferry Road.
• Straight to the second traffic light.
• Left onto Northside Drive to Powers Ferry Road.
• Go through the intersection at Powers Ferry and 1.1 miles to Indian Trail.
• Right on Indian Trail and will dead end at the unit's entrance

From I-285 east, take exit 22 Northside Drive and turn right. Travel 1.2 miles to Indian Trail and turn right. Continue on the paved portion of Indian Trail for 0.4 miles. The road becomes a gravel road and continues for 0.3 miles to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Park parking lot. 

From I-285 west take Exit 16, Riverside Drive, South on Riverside Drive. Travel 0.5 miles, then bear right on Mount Vernon. At 1.2 miles turn left on Northside Drive. Indian Trail is on the right in 0.6 miles. Continue on the paved portion of Indian Trail for 0.4 miles. The road becomes a gravel road and continues for 0.3 miles to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Park parking lot.

Remember to bring $3.00 cash for a parking pass, unless you have an annual pass to the CNRAreas.

Trail Map -https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/upload/TrailMapPalisadesEast .pdf

NO BATHROOM FACILITIES at this park