East Palisades Trail

Up close and personal with nature, confusion, and scenic views. 

The East Palisades trail is part of the Palisades segment of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The 3.8 mile hike features high elevation overlooks, mill ruins, and an interesting bamboo forest (what drew me in to go on this hike!). It truly is a nature-filled, scenic hike without venturing out too far from Atlanta. After immersing into the beauty that the Chattahoochee offers, you can actually forget that you are so close to the city! I became so immersed with my hike that I only remembered the city when I reached one of the overlooks and I saw some tall buildings from there. East Palisades is perfect in that it can be a moderately difficult hike, offering some scenic views and so close to 285 and I-75. 

 And the confusion begins 

The East Palisades' trail-head begins at the end of the Indian Trail NW street. I initially passed the Indian Trail NW street from NorthsideDr. since it just seems like a high-end neighborhood. There was no sign indicating the East Palisades Trail-head ahead.

After driving for about a quarter of a mile, there was no longer a paved road, but rather a rocky road. Soon after, we found a small sign of the park. The unpaved road is narrow, only accommodating one car at a time. And when I saw some people running, I questioned whether I was even allowed to go there. My worries dwindled when I finally found other cars parked at the end of the road. Yay!!! 

Hello National Geographic in real life! 

Literally upon arriving to the trail, a hiker excitedly informed us of a snake on the trail. We were about 15 feet away from her, had just arrived after being confused for 10 minutes and a stranger is talking about a snake? I looked at my 16 year old brother, waiting for his head nod to the car but instead he starts darting towards her! I give my brother a "are you crazy?!" look, but it's too late since he's already by her side.                                        
                                                                                                        I asked the lady where it was as I walked slowly, dreadfully near her. My brother reaches her and then amazed tells me "Hurry Liz! The snake is eating the frog!" as he takes out his phone and takes a picture of it. I'll admit that at first, I refused to get within 5 feet of the snake. But when I saw that it wasn't moving since it knew it had an audience, I felt slightly at ease. I, like most of the population, am afraid of snakes! But according to the other hiker, the snake is not venomous and was too "busy" to even bother with humans. Phew!    

Chattahoochee River 

After passing the snake's lunch break, we officially began our hike! I don't like being in the sun much since I get hot easily and then frustrated (my brother says I'm like our husky-german shepherd dog!). So I loved the fact that probably about 90% of the hike was in the shade! After hiking in the forest for what seemed like 15 minutes, we suddenly heard the rushing water of the Chattahoochee River.

Higher elevation to finally reach the Bamboo Forest!

After passing the Chattahoochee River, we continued our hike in search of the Bamboo Forest. Parts of the trail were steep and narrow. My brother likes to lead the way, so in parts where it was narrow, he was the leader. Every so often, my 10 year old sister would ask if we were close to the Bamboo Forest. We told her that she could see the pandas there, she didn't believe us at first, but my brother's poker face convinced her. My sister is a huge animal advocate so she was anxious to reach the bamboo forest despite the fact that she was tired. We took breaks with her every half mile and after listening to her ask about the pandas for 20 minutes, I had to tell her we were just kidding.

I had no idea there was a Bamboo forest so close to home! I've never seen bamboo, so seeing it with my own eyes was definitely fascinating. I wanted to continue hiking the remaining .7 mile of the trail to reach the overlook. Unfortunately, I once again made the mistake of going for a hike later in the evening so the sun was starting to set and my sister was tired and hungry. Next time I go, I will ensure to hike the entire trail to reach the overlook!