Peace in the midst of the City
Written: Dec 07 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Scenery: |
 |
|
| Crowds: |
 |
|
| Time needed for visit: |
 |
|
|
Pros: very peaceful, creek is attractive and interesting, historic sites, lots to do.
Cons: kinda brown and nondescript in winter
The Bottom Line: Sweetwater Creek is a quiet, peaceful and pretty spot to visit, with a bit of history in there to boot. Nature lovers can find plenty of interest.
|
|
|
| copernicus's Full Review: Sweetwater Creek Conservation State Park |
Sweetwater Creek State Park is a relaxed, tranquil spot some 15 miles or so from the centre of Atlanta, nestled in the outer western suburbs of the city, near the towns/suburbs of Austell and Lithia Springs. The park is of a fair size and contains some 9 miles (14km) of walking trails, some of which follows the aforementioned creek, and also wanders around the surrounding hills. There is plenty to do if you’re into a bit of nature-watching, and there is a very peaceful atmosphere to be found.
To get there you need to go down the annoying I-20 freeway thingamajig, which generally has a lot of cars on it, and can make for some annoying traffic if you take it at the wrong time. Much like most of Atlanta’s freeways, really. You’ll need to take some back roads to get there but it’s not too far from the freeway, and if you have a map and know how to read you ought to be able to figure it out. The first thing you’ll probably notice is the George H Sparks Reservoir (still can’t figure out the American tendency to name big lakes after obscure people, and use their full names in doing so!), which is quite large and is a good spot if you’re into a bit of boating and fishing. I’m not too sure if the swimming is any good, but it can’t hurt to ask.
At the time of year we visited, early March, it was still the end of winter and thus everything had a vaguely brown look to it, due to the trees being rather bereft of leaves, and a distinct lack of grass or indeed anything much of a green nature around. I imagine it would be a bit nicer when spring is in full bloom, or in autumn when the trees still have leaves - a bit of colour is always nice!
The main attraction is obviously the creek, else it’d be called the George H Sparks Lake State Park, which is an even bigger mouthful. When I visited in March of this year, there had been some massive deluge a day or two earlier, and so to say the creek was swollen would be a minor understatement. It was, in fact, a raging torrent, and there were some fun adventures to be had in the way of walking around the track rather than on it, since water had washed it away. The creek in full flood is quite a sight – it’s not like any Australian creeks, which tend to be more in the form of a narrow trickle or a narrow, strong current. It was actually very wide, and it is obvious that even when not in flood has quite a powerful flow.
The trail which follows (or followed) the creek is of perhaps medium difficulty, there are some small hills and dips to follow, but it is very interesting and scenic, due in part to some of the ruins that are found along the creek. This is because the creek, at least in this particular spot, was the former site of the New Manchester village. The most obvious manifestation of this is the ruins of the New Manchester Mill, and there is a fair bit of information about this site both in the trail guide and at the site, if I’m not mistaken. While, unfortunately, you can’t climb on it due to the presence of the cyclone fence surrounding it, it is certainly worth a look and shows quite neatly the history of the area.
The Mill was the most important place in the village, seeing as it produced, or helped produce the town’s economic welfare. There is quite a bit of the history of the place explained in the visitor’s centre and in the trail notes, and is worth the read. The millrace further down the creek is also worth a look, though at the time we visited it was fairly much indistinct from the rest of the raging flood. You can definitely see how it would have worked, though, and it is quite ingenious the way that the power of the creek was harnessed in order to work the mill. The trail follows down to an overlook over Sweetwater Falls, a twelve-foot churning cascade - but alas we didn’t make it this far since the trail was well and truly under water at some point before this. However, if the trail is walkable, it seems quite worthwhile, especially with the cliff walls that loom above some way.
Though we didn’t walk any of the other trails, apparently the main sights along these non-creek trails are the native wildlife, mostly birds, and quite a lot of supposedly interesting plants and trees. I can’t say as plants and trees overly interest me unless they are very big or extremely pretty, but if you’re into that sort of thing, then give it a go. Having said that, if the creek trail is any guide then it ought to be a very pleasant spot for a walk anyway, regardless of what sort of excitement the flora and fauna offer. There is also another trail on the other side of the creek which does a loop, following the creek before wandering into the woods for a while.
Sweetwater Creek is a lovely place to get away from the hurly-burly of the city, and particularly being so close to the city, it’s really not difficult to get to. The contrast between the noise and mess of the city, and the tranquillity and peaceful beauty of the creek and surrounds, is quite amazing, and definitely a good spot to relax and unwind. And, if you can ever make it down to have a look after a big rain, it’s well worth it! The power of the creek in a torrent is quite something else indeed, and something I personally have never experienced! Either way, the nature trails are very pretty and the lake offers plenty in the way of recreation, so Sweetwater Creek is a very decent destination for a picnic, to chuck in a line, or simply to take pooch for a walk.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: September-November
Recommended for: Familes
Review Topic: Hiking & Trails
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
copernicus
|
|
Location: Hopefully taking photos somewhere
Reviews written: 137
Trusted by: 124 members
About Me:
planning to write more soon...that's the idea anyway!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.