As a child, I didn’t really like gym class but I always enjoyed walking. There’d be times when I’d walk on the Silver Comet trail after going to the movies with my dad or one of the schools I attended would take us to the trail during recess because it was so close. Those trail walks in school were probably some of my favorite recess times. I like walking on flat surfaces to be specific. However, whenever I thought of hiking, I felt intimidated.  

I remember one time in middle school, I was over at a friend’s house while I waited for my mom to get off work. Her family invited me to join them somewhere but I didn’t know what we were doing.

Then, they pulled up to Kennesaw Mountain and we started to climb the unpaved side of the mountain. I still had on the clothes I wore for school, my purse, and flats; not appropriate hiking attire. I was exhausted and never wanted to do that again.

Well, about 14 years later, things have changed. Recently, I’ve been getting into hiking. Wanting a bit more of challenge than just walking on trails, I thought hiking could be a fun way to see things in nature.

My mom told me about a wellness hike group with Mind and Body Therapy and I thought it would be a perfect way to start hiking.

The Bamboo Forest

The first hike I went on since that one time in middle school was to the Bamboo Forest. This forest is located in Sandy Springs, Georgia about 5 miles away from Truist Park (where the Atlanta Braves play). One of the ways to get to it is through the East Palisades trail. When I first heard of this forest from Tiktok and Instagram, I was surprised we even had a Bamboo Forest in the middle of Georgia.

I wanted to see it for myself so when the wellness hike group said they were going there, I jumped at the opportunity.

Parking

There are two places to park: The Whitewater Creek entrance and the Indian Trail entrance. We parked at the Indian Trail entrance.

I’m going to be honest, it’d be better if you knew someone who lived near the area so you can park in their driveway and walk over.

When my mom and I arrived at the entrance, the road turned in to a one-way dirt road. If you were trying to leave, you’d have to pull off to the side so we could pass which could be worrisome (especially for an overthinker like myself who hates driving).

There is a circular area for parking but that can only fit 10-15 cars max. The rest of us would have to park along the side the dirt road a little bit into the woods. One side is on an incline so the cars are slightly titled back. Definitely use your emergency break when you park.

While there’s said to be more parking at the Whitewater Creek entrance, there’s a reason why we didn’t park there.

The Trail

The Indian Trail parking put us a bit closer to the Bamboo Forest so we wouldn’t have to walk for 3-6 miles to get there. We didn’t have to hike as long but that didn’t mean the hike was easy.

The AllTrails app/site labels the trail as moderate. Usually, the walks I do are labeled as easy on the app so I thought moderate wouldn’t be so bad…I was wrong.

Both my mom and I struggled at some parts of the hike, specifically when there was a small cliff we had to walk on the edge of.

The woman and therapist who organized the group made sure my mom was okay. She’d told me to go on ahead so that I could focus on making it across. That was probably the hardest part but it was still a lot. It was also hilly. There was a lot of inclines which was fine for me but a bit much for my mom. As we got closer the Bamboo Forest the trail was easier and we started seeing more people.

The Bamboo Forest was very cool and peaceful to witness in person. It’s right alongside the Chattahoochee River so hearing the water flow was nice. There were a lot of people there besides our group. If you’re going there to disconnect for a moment and find peace, other people being there can be distracting. I could see people passing by in canoes and swim rings occasionally in the river which was also a little distracting.

Distractions aside, I think the trail up to the Bamboo Forest was worth it. On the way back, the cliff part didn’t even seem that bad.

If you’re visiting Atlanta and want to be around nature, I’d definitely recommend seeing the Bamboo Forest.

Cochran Mill Park

For my second hike with Mind and Body Therapy, we went to Cochran Mill Park. It’s not far from the Douglasville area. I even passed my Dad’s house on the way to the park.

Parking

Parking for this trail was much easier to get to and they had plenty of it. They did charge for parking which is $5 for the whole day. You could either lend your pass to someone else when you’re leaving or ask someone for theirs when they’re leaving if you want. You can use a card to pay at the machine that’s right next to the map display.

As I was waiting to see the therapist/organizer, I discovered the park had Wi-Fi in the parking area: CMP wifi. It goes away once you start walking the trails.

I was behind a lot of bicyclists on the drive here (and even more on the drive back) but I think it’s because they were having some sort of race or marathon that weekend.

The Trail: Orange

There are various trails to choose from at Cochran Mill Park. On their map display, they say the green and orange are the best ones for beginners.

Our group was doing the orange trail which required us to cross the street from the parking lot. After crossing the street and going across a short bridge, there’s a waterfall at the very beginning. It’s a nice area to have picnic. 

We stayed there for a few minutes while waiting for the rest of the group to join and we had time for meditation.

We walked further into the park to get to the two trails. The trail on the right was the Orange and the trail on the left was the Green.

Compared to the trail at the Bamboo Forest, this one was easier but a lot of it was uphill and it was a little muddy.

We saw other opportunities for a small waterfall or just places were water was flowing. We stood and meditated again but didn’t really stay and look around. I’m hoping to go back with my mom or dad so we can take our time to look at the water more.

As we looped our way back, we were turned around a couple of times. We hit a dead-end but were able to at least slide down back to where the first waterfall was. I don’t think my mom would’ve been able to do that part.

We took our pictures in front of the waterfall to reward ourselves for a successful hike.

Future Trails

I’ve only done hikes with Mindy and Body Therapy but I’m ready to try more on my own. The hike at Cochran Mill Park was the last group hike for the season so I technically don’t have a choice. I’m still doing my walks on the easier trails and with the independent bookstore, The Book Worm’s, walking booking club.

However, I want to go back to Kennesaw Mountain and redeem myself. I always want to go to Sweetwater Creek, a place I’ve visited a couple of times as a kid but never went on the trails they offer.

I want to do trails on vacation, as well. For instance, I’ll doing a cruise out of Puerto Rico next year and the El Yunque Forest looks like a beautiful place to explore and see another side of Puerto Rico besides San Juan.

By using Google My Maps to found out how far the forest was from San Juan, I’ll probably use a tour to get to the forest but I’ll still get my hike in.

I think I like walking and hiking so much because being around the trees, feeling the wind, hearing the water (if I’m able to), is such a calming feeling.

Do you like walking or hiking on trails? What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

If you’re looking to get started with hiking, the AllTrails app is a great app to use when finding and navigating trails all over the world.