I don't usually go hiking by myself. Whenever I go hiking, it's almost exclusively with a friend or family member, and sometimes several. I like to talk while hiking, so it felt a little strange visiting Olde Rope Mill Park this past weekend, but in a good way. I had interned at a theater in Woodstock last year, and was told by my co-workers about the many interesting sites to see in Woodstock, including some beautiful trails. I hadn't looked much into their recommendations since then, but now I've had the opportunity to investigate one of them- Olde Rope Mill Park.
Olde Rope Mill Park is located in Woodstock, GA and is located just north of The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta. It features multiple mountain trails, access areas for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking along Little River, park benches, picnic areas, and a rock pavilion. Back in the 1800s, The Rope Mill produced cotton ropes, and it was powered by water flowing through Little River, Noonday Creek, and Etowah River, hence the name. [1]
There are three main trails that branch off into different loops, with each having their own difficulty levels based on the length of the trail, how stable the trail is, and the amount of climbing it contains. I hadn't been here before, so I wanted to put in the time to take everything in. From the parking lot, there is the main building, which has a men's and women's restroom, the rock pavilion, which has a firepit and a grill, and a few picnic areas. There are three main paths- left and right, which are both paved, and straight, where a bridge immediately takes you across Little River.
I decided to go right, taking the Trestle Rock Trail, a paved walkway alongside the river. I saw some people standing in the river fishing, and a few ducks waddling out of the water. The paved walkway is fairly short, and once I reached the end I felt unsatisfied. Though the other passerby were just turning back, I wanted to explore this direction more. A sign up ahead just said that the maintained trail ended, and that hikers and bikers are at their own risk. I climbed up the side of the mountain, which although somewhat steep, was fairly short, and found myself on a bike trail, which I found out later was the Avalanche Trail.
I didn't really care what direction I took on the trail, knowing whatever I discovered would be new and interesting. Aside from a couple of bikers that I let pass by me, I didn't encounter any other people on this trail. The only sounds I heard were those of squirrels running on the ground and climbing up trees, the wind, and the faint sound of water running from below. The peace and quiet was relaxing and appreciated, given that it's something I rarely experience, but after a while, the desire to talk to someone ate away at me until I called up my dad, mostly to have someone to talk to, but also to check on him since we haven't talked in a few weeks. We had a nice conversation and I ended up talking to him a while longer after I hiking back down to the parking lot. I left Olde Rope Mill Park right after the sun began to set, and I only wish I had gone earlier in the day so that I could have experienced more of the trails it has to offer. I'll definitely be returning here in the future though and hopefully I can bring some friends along so that I can show them how cool this Georgia Gem is!
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