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Local and Regional Parks

•  City Parks:   On December 8, 2006 the City of Sandy Springs finalized the purchase of parkland – approximately 172 acres -  from Fulton County.  Acquired with a generous, $16,000 grant from the Sandy Springs Society, the sites include: 
• Abernathy Park,
• Allen Road Park
• Big Trees Forest Preserve
• “Great Park at Morgan Falls” Bull Sluice site
• East Conway Pocket Park
• Hammond Park
• Island Ferry Park
• Johnson Ferry Road Park
• Morgan Falls Ballfields
• North Fulton Tennis Center
• Sandy Springs Historic Site& Park
• Ridgeview Park.  

When the Abernathy Road Linear Park comes on line, it will add about 20 acres.  View the pdf for a map of the facilities. 

• The Blue Heron Golf Course on Morgan Falls Road, a public, 18-hole executive par course was not part of the purchase, but continues to be independently operated on land leased from Fulton County.
• National Parks with river access:  Sandy Springs is fortunate to have four units of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) within city limits. These are the Park Headquarters at Island Ford,   Holcomb Bridge,   Powers Island, and Palisades.  For park maps, directions, and more info, check out:   http://www.nps.gov/chat/index.htm.  Scroll down for a tour of East Palisades Park through the eyes of one Sandy Springs resident.

We are working on an expanded list of local and regional parks. Check back again soon for more park listings. If you have a favorite park in the Atlanta Metro area, tell us about it because we'd like to publish your review on our website. Write: director@sandyspringsconservancy.org

 

The East Palisades Park

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

The East Palisades Park is about 10 miles north of downtown Atlanta. The center of the park is on the eastern edge of the river approximately 1 mile southeast of the intersection of I-75 North and I-285. My love affair with the East Palisades Park began almost 38 years ago. As a lonesome homesick freshman at Georgia Tech, I was in desperately need of an escape from the sterile confines of a technical institution in an urban setting. My new dorm roommate grew up on the edge of the Park and invited me home for a Sunday dinner and afternoon hike to the Overlook - a rock overhang some 150 feet above the sweeping s-curve of the Chattahoochee River below. My life has never been the same........

That day I witnessed the effects of nature at its finest. A river gorge some 200 feet deep formed by the Brevard Fault where rocks are profoundly sheared and fractured. These broken rocks control much of the river's course. The fault is actually the dividing line between the Appalachian and Piedmont regions in Georgia. It provides scenic palisades and shoals as well as the hills and valleys surrounding the river.

I also learned that the river valley provides a habitat for plant species that are found in both the Appalachian and Piedmont regions. The soil is rich and the misty river provides a blanket of moisture to its steep and rocky banks. Because of this unique eco-system a wide variety of plants are found within the river valley that one would not otherwise find unless they were in the mountain valleys of North Georgia including rhododendron and mountain laurel. Additionally, wild azaleas, St. John's Wart and Hearts-A-Bustin adorn the steep slopes and riverbank.

I also came to see over time that the river valley is home to numerous natural creatures. It is the southern- most trout river in the United States. Playful river otters frolic in the cool waters and industrious beavers build dams on the river banks. Tracks of raccoon, possum and mink can also be seen in the muddy banks. Deer freely roam the area while the cunning red fox prowls for meals. In the sky, red-tailed hawks, kingfishers and swallows soar. You might even see a graceful blue heron soaring above with it's neck bent in flight and it's wings outstretched 6 feet. At dusk a symphony begins with the call of the owls and frogs while the bats begin darting about overhead.

Well, life's never as simple as one would like as my career led me to move 12 subsequent times after that initial stay in Atlanta. But having traveled to some 50 countries on every continent and having experienced such incredible natural wonders as the Swiss Alps, the New Zealand Alps, the Andes, the Fjords of Norway, the Li River Mountains in China, the Atlas Mountains in Northern Africa, etc.......... I could never get the East Palisades out of my mind.

Well, I finally made it back to Atlanta for good 8 years ago and dreams do come true as I can now walk out my own back door and in a few steps reach the East Palisades Park then on to the Overlook to experience that same sense of wonder all over again!

I invite you to experience it as well. Just drive to Indian Trail 1 mile south of I-285 off Northside Drive. Continue on the gravel road until it dead ends at the parking lot.

Jerry Bell - Sandy Springs Resident