Spotlight on Gwinnett County’s top trails and how to best enjoy them!
From a dog walk to a candy cane hunt, to horseback and on two wheels or your own two feet, there are many ways to explore and enjoy the trails within Gwinnett County’s awardwinning park system. Here is what we DiG about Gwinnett’s trails:
HIKE WITH MAN’S BEST FRIEND AT GRAVES PARK DOG PARK
Bring your four-legged friends for this free event at Graves Park Dog Park in Norcross for a special ‘Walk the Talk’ on November 23 with the Gwinnett Animal Shelter’s animal behaviorist. Learn about boredom busters as you walk the trail at an enjoyable, easy pace. During this interactive hike with your pooch, you will learn the ins and outs of a canine’s brain, what they need to stay motivated and stimulated, and how to keep your canine busy during rainy or cold weather, in small spaces, when you’re short on time, etc.
GO ON A CANDY CANE HUNT AT SHORTY HOWELL PARK
Bundle up the family for a fun-filled event on December 14 where children will have the opportunity to hunt for candy canes on the trail around Shorty Howell Park in Duluth. Participants will be separated into different age groups for the hunt. The hunt will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m. Following the hunt, families can enjoy some hot cocoa, holiday treats and crafts in the activity building as well as “sleigh” rides. And, you never know what special guests might show up! All ages welcome. Please pre-register by 12/12. For more information call 678.277.0906 or register with code SHP41623 at www.gwinnettparks.com.
EXPLORE GWINNETT’S BEST KEPT SECRET AT LITTLE MULBERRY PARK
Located in Auburn, Little Mulberry Park is a hiking gem for nature lovers with forested trails that offer changing elevation and the chance to spot wildlife along the way. If you are in it for the long haul, try out the 2.16 mile-long Ravine Loop Trail. Visitors may also enjoy a ramble along the 1.04 mile-long natural surface of the Woodland Trail, and there is even a 5.47 mile-long equestrian trail.
TAKE A HIKE BACK IN TIME AT MCDANIEL FARM PARK
This former cotton farm in Duluth is relatively unchanged since its drawing in the 1820 land lottery. It was a thriving farm in the early 1900s, but later years saw the struggles of the Great Depression and the boll weevil. See the story come to life in the property’s original barn, well house, chicken coup, blacksmith shed and restored tenant farmer house. The 134-acre park also boasts three miles of paved and nonpaved trails.
BE READY FOR AN ADVENTURE AT TRIBBLE MILL PARK
The centerpiece of Tribble Mill’s sprawling 713-acre park is the sparkling Ozora Lake, and would be our suggestion for a good place to start your hike; the park offers gently changing elevation throughout numerous trails. For those interested in a more adventurous trail ride, check out their mountain biking trails, or go horseback riding on one of the dedicated equestrian trails.
GO OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS AT YELLOW RIVER PARK
Atlantatrail.com describes Yellow River Park as a “beautiful rolling forest bordering a wide, smoothly flowing river that evokes the feeling of a North Georgia mountain adventure. It’s a fantastic near-the-city destination for hiking, trail running and mountain biking in a beautiful forested landscape.” Located near Stone Mountain, the park offers scenic, forested views of the Yellow River and even a waterfall on its 12 miles of non-paved trails for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding.