Chattahoochee River NRA draws record visitors 2022 Archives

Chattahoochee River trails management plan — The Paper Mill Road bridge over Sope Creek is at the edge of the East Cobb portion of the Chattahoochee River NRA.

The National Park Service said this week that a record 3.5 million visitors used the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which includes several area trails and facilities in East Cobb.

Those figures were right behind the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massaschusetts and Yosemite National Park in California and in 21st place overall nationally.

The 3.5 million figure is nine percent higher than in 2021, according to park officials, who said that the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Marietta reported 1.5 million visitors last year.

The Chattahoochee River NRA, which was created in 1978, stretches for 48 miles between Forsyth, Gwinnett, Fulton and Cobb counties.

In East Cobb, there are the Gold Branch and Johnson Ferry units above Johnson Ferry Road, and the Sope Creek Unit trails located off Paper Mill Road.

The NPS figures didn’t break down park visits by those units. But in a social media posting Friday the Chattahoochee NRA staf said that “this many visitors each year mean parts of the park are always very crowded.

“If you crave solitude in nature, #PlanLikeAParkRanger and explore some of the northern units of the park, like Bowmans Island or the Jones Bridge.”

The All Trails website rates the Sope Creek Loop from Paper Mill Road as the second-best trail in the Chattahoochee River NRA.

It’s a 2.9-mile route that takes about an hour to complete for moderate walkers/hikers, and also includes mountain bikers.

The Gold Branch trail is ranked fourth, and the Chattahoochee River trail from Columns Drive is rated seventh.

The Sope Creek Loop from Cochran Shoals and the Sibley Pond Loop also are in the top 10 of those rankings.