Sweetwater Creek

Sweetwater Creek SP https://gastateparks.org/SweetwaterCreek https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetwater_Creek_State_Park Sweetwater Creek State Park located in east Douglas County, 15 miles (24 km) from downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The park is named after Sweetwater Creek which runs through it. Cherokee people were forcibly removed from the area and it eventually became home to the New Manchester Manufacturing Company and mill town of New Manchester. The park features wooded walking and hiking trails, the George Sparks Reservoir, a visitor center, a bait shop, and a gift shop, as well as the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company.

Sweetwater Creek State Park Trail Map r Blvd . Tent Sites P #1 P B V R R P Spillway (Danger Keep Off!) P ee n ue rail Ye ll h it e Trail l Trai ow l n Trai BO UN ge an New Manchester Mill Ruins Or Sw ee T DA RY EXIT 44 id e Pa rkw ay I-20 RK BO UN DA RY r ive eR che oo ah att Ch PA twa PARK BOUNDARY RK ek NOTICE: Please be advised that the park closes at dark. BO Y ow W ek Cre Bridge oad ge R Brid ARY irs Bla PA R K B OUND Police Firing Range Tr ai l Re d R #11 I-20 Br Jack’s Hill Area George H. Sparks Reservoir #3 #4 Trai l Factory Shoals Ro ad W hit e Lake #5 #6 Jack’s ranch Jack’s B ek Cre K AR PA ad Ro 1 round Campg Host #2 Mar sh Mt. Vernon R PA R K B O U N D A RY n ter to ds ty -en er ad prop de ek ail ate Tr priv Cre kso Nic PA R UN D Miles ton PA R K B O U N D A RY Monie 6 3 2 George H. Sparks Reservoir 7 4 sh Traster mp 5 ck Yurts rs Riv e T id e Parkwa y 1 orn Th 9 10 8 Do Y Staff Residence • 1750 Mt. Vernon Road, Lithia Springs, GA 30122 • Park: 770-732-5871 • Reservations: 1-800-864-7275 • GeorgiaStateParks.org Y Du Road rrace Te Yurt Area ar R Volunteer Office 1/2 Bl EMERGENCY NUMBERS: 911 or call / text 678-871-0792 EXIT 41 C Legend Red/History Trail White Trail Yellow/East Side Trail Orange Trail Blue Trail Green Connector Trail Brown Connector Trail Trail Connector Police Firing Range (No park visitors allowed) Park Boundary Area Stream Restroom P Parking Interpretive Center/ Park Office Picnic Shelter Picnic Area Boat Ramp (Electric motors only) Playground Overlook V Bait Shop/Store Group Shelter B Tent Site New Manchester Mill Ruins No Boating No Park Visitors oad 1/4 Cre er wat eet Sw il ra a t e r r a pid s it e w wh ed Whitewater Rapids PAR K BOU NDA RY 0 rs ve Ri Tr ai l r ate tw Gr ee Sw Mt. Vernon Road PARK BOUNDARY Lee Road Kin Park Trail Descriptions & Other Information RED / HISTORY TRAIL Red/History Trail 0 The Red Trail, after half a mile, takes you to the impressive five-story New Manchester mill ruins alongside the whitewater rapids of Sweetwater Creek, and is the recommended hike for first-time visitors. New Manchester was a mid-nineteenth century mill town which met its demise during the Civil War after the burning of the mill in 1864. A free history guide for the Red Trail is available in the Interpretive Center. The second half-mile of the Red Trail, downstream of the mill, continues downstream alongside the largest rapid (Class IV+) at the one mile mark where it connects with the White Trail and is considerably more strenuous because of the very rocky terrain. 1100 ft. Sweetwater Creek State Park was opened in 1972 and encompasses 2,549 acres of land 15 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the most visited park in Georgia and just minutes from downtown Atlanta. For overnight accommodations, there is a yurt village with 10 yurts and 5 tent sites. The park offers a variety of natural, cultural, and recreational resources including hiking, picnicking, boating (electric motors only), and fishing. Seven maintained trails cover over 15 miles, highlighting most aspects of the park from ridge tops to creek valleys showcasing the many diverse plant communities and various cultural resources. The trails are open from 7:00 a.m. to dark and are color-coded with blazes painted on the trees. The trailheads for all trails originate at the Interpretive Center/museum (open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) where you will find more trail information as well as exhibits on the natural and cultural resources of the park as well as a gift shop. These include exhibits on the Civil War, life in the mill town of New Manchester, green buildings, and the plants and animals of the park. Water, restrooms, snacks, drinks, gifts and souvenirs are also available here. The Interpretive Center is one of the most environmentally responsible buildings anywhere, having achieved the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest possible rating (LEEDNC Platinum). Sweetwater Creek rises in Paulding County and has a large drainage basin of 250 square miles. After it enters the park, it begins to fill with rapids near the mill ruins (up to class IV+). Here, Sweetwater Creek drops 120 feet in elevation on its race to the Chattahoochee River. This mile-long stretch of whitewater rapids is a favorite area for many hikers on the red and white trails. The direction of the river flow within the park is strongly influenced by the geology, as the river changes direction often as it encounters resistant rock. The park offers a diverse range of plant habitats, from river bottomlands and marshes to upland forests and open meadows. Wildflowers are generally abundant from late winter/early spring until late fall. The plentiful water of George H. Sparks Reservoir and Sweetwater Creek, along with the many diverse habitats of the park, also make it attractive to birds and bird

2020 2020 Follow us and share your adventures. #GaStateParks GaStateParks.org Choose Your Own Adventure From mountains to lakes, and from salt marsh to streams, Georgia has dozens of places for you to kick back in the great outdoors. Tennessee North Carolina DADE Cloudland Canyon MURRAY WHITFIELD UNION Chief Vann House Fort GILMER Mountain 75 WALKER Resaca Battlefield CHATTOOGA Vogel Hardman Farm Smithgall Woods WHITE LUMPKIN New Echota Amicalola Falls DAWSON GORDON PICKENS Hike Inn James H. Floyd BARTOW 575 85 MADISON JACKSON BARROW 285 ATLANTA FULTON CLAYTON CARROLL Panola Mountain FAYETTE 20 Robert Toombs House Mistletoe TALIAGREENE FERRO COLUMBIA A.H. Stephens MORGAN 20 WARREN 75 JASPER BUTTS PIKE LAMAR UPSON 475 HARRIS CRAWFORD PEACH JEFFERSON BURKE Magnolia Springs MACON BIBB GriswoldvilleWILKINSON 75 Battlefield Ball’s Ferry TWIGGS TALBOT TAYLOR Hamburg JENKINS SCREVEN JOHNSON EMANUEL 0-150 16 WARNER ROBINS George L. Smith HOUSTON COLUMBUS LAURENS BLECKLEY CANDLER BULLOCH TREUTLEN MACON EFFINGHAM MARION CHATTAHOOCHEE MONTGOMERY SCHLEY PULASKI Florence Marina STEWART Providence Canyon Georgia Veterans SAM Shortline Excursion Train RANDOLPH Little Ocmulgee Gordonia-Alatamaha JEFF DAVIS BEN HILL ALBANY CALHOUN DOUGHERTY Kolomoki Mounds Flint RiverQuarium Jefferson DavisIRWIN APPLING GeneralBACON Coffee COFFEE WAYNE BAKER ATKINSON BERRIEN MITCHELL Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation BRANTLEY COLQUITT WARE COOK MILLER MCINTOSH Reynolds Mansion on Sapelo Island Fort King George GLYNN PIERCE EARLY Reed Bingham Laura S. Walker LANIER 95 CLINCH DECATUR Seminole Lapham-Patterson House GRADY 75 BROOKS CHARLETON LOWNDES Stephen C. Foster VALDOSTA THOMAS ECHOLS Florida GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES | 2020 Fort Morris LONG 95 TIFT WORTH CHATHAM Wormsloe Skidaway Island LIBERTY Fort McAllister TATTNALL TURNER George T. Bagby CLAY 75 LEE TERRELL SAVANNAH BRYAN TELFAIR WILCOX CRISP Fort Jackson EVANS TOOMBS SUMTER WEBSTER 16 WHEELER DODGE DOOLY QUITMAN SEMINOLE 4,500+ WASHINGTON 185 MUSCOGEE GLASCOCK JONES MONROE F.D. Roosevelt HANCOCK High Falls Jarrell BALDWIN Dames Plantation Ferry PARTNER ATTRACTION AUGUSTA 520 RICHMOND Elevation (Feet) Roosevelt’s Little White House GOLF COURSE HISTORIC AREA MCDUFFIE PUTNAM Indian Springs SPALDING PARK & LODGE HISTORIC SITE LINCOLN WILKES HENRY COWETA MERIWETHER OGLETHORPE Hard Labor Creek NEWTON 85 TROUP PARK Elijah Clark a lin ro Ca uth So ama Alab Chattahoochee Bend HEARD ROCKDALE 675 285 Watson Mill Bridge OCONEE WALTON DEKALB Sweetwater Creek ELBERT Fort Yargo ATHENS GWINNETT HARALSON Richard B. Russell 985 CLARKE Pickett's Mill Battlefield PAULDING 20 HART Victoria Bryant HALL COBB POLK Hart Don Carter GAINESVILLE Red Top Mountain Allatoona Pass Battlefield FULTON Etowah Indian Mounds Tugaloo FRANKLIN BANKS CHEROKEE 75 Traveler’s Rest HABERSHAM Dahlonega Gold Museum (5-mile hike from the park) Rocky Mountain FLOYD Black Rock Mountain TOWNS MoccasinRABUN Creek Tallulah Gorge Unicoi FANNIN CATOOSA Atlan tic O cean 59 CAMDEN Suwannee River Eco-Lodge (located 18 miles from the park) GaStateParks.org 1-800-864-7275 (PARK) #GaStateParks #See_Them_All Crooked River Family bonding? We’ve got you. In Sandy Springs, family vacations are a walk in the park—and our parks are exceptional. Enjoy the wooded scenery year-round, order an aquatic adventure right from the menu, or explore our unique playgrounds to make the most of your quality time together. visitsandysprings.org PLAY OUTSIDE ATLANTA. 2020 Guide to Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites High Falls Table of Contents Accommodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14–15 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 11, 13 Advertiser Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Chart of Accommodations & Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–7 2020 Guide to Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites Group Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 is published by: Historic Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 42–45 Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2600 Hwy. 155 SW Stockbridge, GA 30281 770-389-7286 State Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27–41 Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites are operated by the Department of Natural Resources. If you need this in an alternate format, contact the DNR. Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites accept no responsibility for errors of fact or omissi