Mill Town Ride : Chattahoochee Valley Rail Trail

Along the Alabama/Georgia border lies a town named Valley.  The nearby Chattahoochee River nurtured the crops and powered the mills.  Labor here was cheaper than England, then later, cheaper than New England.  The mills came for the labor and the ready access to their raw materials.  The men, women, and children came to the mill from the fields because the farm was harder and more uncertain.  The mill with its village, school, and company store promised stability.

The mills are gone.  The train tracks that took the finished goods to markets around the world were abandoned.

The train tracks have been reclaimed into a recreational trail. Despite the searing South Alabama heat, folks walk it and bike it.  It's a good way into town; a good place to run into a neighbor; a good place for a visitor to ride and think.

___________________________________________________________________________

I was south of Atlanta for a long weekend, and as I often do, I consulted Trail Link for a nearby trail.  Trail Link is an invaluable starting point, and the user comments keep the listings relevant with updates and tips.

Chattahoochee Valley Rail Trail

7 miles seemed like a nice trail to double up on and get a nice 14 mile ride in, so I loaded up the family and made the hour and a half car ride.  Many of the Trail Link comments focused on the difficulty of connecting the 2 sections of the trail, and I too found this to be true.  The Southern portion is easy enough to find, but the Northern section is across a confusing and busy intersection that is not easily accessible by bike (nor its location readily apparent.)  From the Southern section, look across the street toward city hall.  The Northern section starts across the field at the road in front of the city hall property.

North Section:
Start at City Hall 20th Ave at 23rd Blvd and head north.  This section is only a mile and can easily be skipped except 1) it's a good route to the restaurants near the interstate 2) it ends in a mill village, and the city planning dork in me loves the symmetric, grid layouts of a mill village.

South Section:
The South Sections is a lot of fun.  We started at 59 St in the old Langdale Mill parking lot.  The trail rolled gently as it paralleled US 29 for about a mile and a half.  After turning away from the highway, the trail ran by Sue's Chic Cafe a few blocks on.  It was too early for lunch, and too late for breakfast, but based on the traffic and people lingering in the parking lot, this is the place to gather in town.  There's a Y in the trail about 4.1 miles in, and I missed it heading south.  I only noticed it after we turned around at the end.  The Y goes downhill through a park, and is a nice addition for mileage and for a fast descent.  The pedaling back up is real, but at least it's shaded!

I logged 16.2 miles.  With a stop in a park and another with some locals beside the trail, it was a good 2 hour ride.

If you're in area, stop into Valley and enjoy their rail trail.

The Elusive Start of the North Trail Segment

Note: Trail Ridden 9/2/11