Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Sandy Springs, GA

Photo: Keizers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

1978 Island Ford Pkwy · Sandy Springs, GA

Why you should go…

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area protects a 48-mile river corridor between Atlanta and Lake Lanier, split into 15 separate park units. You can hike and bike riverside trails, canoe or float the river by tube in summer, picnic, or fish a stocked trout stream. Great blue herons nest in the treetops along the banks. The Hewlett Lodge Visitor Center sits at the Island Ford unit in Sandy Springs, and each unit has its own parking and amenities, so check the park map first.

  • #national recreation area
  • #river paddling
  • #hiking trails
  • #trout fishing
  • #tubing

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Alpharetta

    Free

    An Atlanta-area city with a walkable downtown, shopping, and event venues, served by its official visitor bureau.

    5.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Free Entry

    Explore Gwinnett

    Free

    Gwinnett County's official tourism office in Duluth, with visitor information on the county's food scene, breweries, parks and pro sports northeast of Atlanta.

    10 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Truist Park

    $25–$50

    See the Atlanta Braves play or tour the press box, Hank Aaron Terrace and Monument Garden at their ballpark.

    11 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Date Night

    Atlanta Botanical Garden

    $25–$50

    Stroll a treetop canopy walk, meet the giant Earth Goddess and wander orchid houses in Midtown's 30-acre urban oasis.

    14 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Piedmont Park

    Free

    Midtown's 200-acre lawn with the classic skyline-over-lake view, big festivals, a Saturday Green Market, and BeltLine access.

    14 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail

    Free

    Atlanta's rail-trail promenade, murals, food halls, and prime people-watching from Piedmont Park to the Krog Street Tunnel.

    14 mi awayMore like this