Southeast - Silver Comet Trail suggestions

Hi folks.

We are looking to do a family trip down to the Atlanta area. One of the things we wanted to do is hit a portion of the Silver Comet. I will be my wife on her comfort bike and me captaining with our 9 yo daughter playing stoker on our recently acquired tandem :D. We are looking to do about 18-20ish miles round trip at a very moderate pace (probably 10 mph or slightly under).

I read that the trail is currently closed for abou 6-7 miles west of Hiram. I have also read that the first 10 or so miles of the trail is fairly congested. Especially since we will be riding it on the weekend. So I guess that puts us starting west of Tara Drummond (I only know these names from the internet info I've seen)? We would prefer more rural areas for nice scenery yet would like to be able to come across a place to eat along the way for lunch or something. Might not even be opposed to heading all of the way out to Cedartown and riding to the border and back. I can get the mileages on line. Just curious about opinions on the nicer/less crowded areas to ride. Of corse a great restuarant review could be factored in as well :D.

Any suggestions? Even of parts I didn't list above? Thanks in advance for any insight.

The Western sections of the Silver Comet are scenic and never congested with pedestrians. Note that the 13-mile section from Cedartown (East) to Rockmart is not rails-to-trails and is very hilly. It's a good workout but could be a little tough for someone who doesn't ride frequently.

At the Alabama border the Silver Comet joins the Chief Ladiga trail. The section from the border to Piedmont, AL is, in my opinion, the prettiest part of the entire system (Silver Comet plus Chief Ladiga). It's rails-to-trails (flat) but the part from Borden Springs, AL to Piedmont cuts through the Appalachian Mountains. You get to see where railroad construction blasted through millions of tons of rock about a century ago.

To avoid the congestion, start no further east than the Florence Road trailhead (http://www.pathfoundation.org/pathfoundationfiles/FloydCobb.pdf) (mile marker 9). There are restrooms and water there. Be sure you take snacks and water. Not many places to stop and fill up in the hinterlands. :rolleyes:

Thanks guys. Especially about the hilly part! If I were on my road bike no sweat. But since I'll be on a 60 lb tandem with a 100 lb stoker who may or may not be actually pulling her weight :D I'm not sure if I even want to tackle many hills. But most of all my wife would not enjoy them in the least! :D That info helps a lot.

I would recommend the section going west from the Rambo Trailhead(mile 23). This section crosses the big Pumpkinvine Creek trestle right off and goes through Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area. You might check on when there are hunts going on. I think they close the trail for those. It is a very beautiful ride through the woods and also a big tunnel. There are no restaurants. I would suggest packing a picnic lunch. Coot's lake is closed for the season. There are restrooms at the trailhead there. The tunnel would be 16 miles round trip. Coot's Lake trailhead would be 20 miles round trip.

Enjoy!

I just rode the trail this past weekend! :)

The trail is currently closed between the Hiram trailhead and the Tara Drummond trailhead. Paulding County Sheriffs office said it would be weeks before that stretch will reopen. On Sunday I parked at Tara Drummond and rode west all the way to Rockmart. It's a beautiful stretch with low grades until you get in to Rockmart. Once in Rockmart the trail gets narrow and a bit more hilly. Just on the other side of Rockmart is a very steep hill up to a road crossing. That's the point at which I turned around and headed back. It was 18+ miles each way.

I should also mention that some of the tunnels, especially the long Brushy Mountain tunnel, had accumulations of sand (both wet and dry), dirt, and debris still left over from the recent flooding. The Brushy Mountain tunnel was especially loaded with it and was treacherous to ride. On the way out I ended up getting off and walking through some of the sand, but on the way back was able to find a compacted path that looked safe.

I would recommend starting no further east than Tara Drummond. To get there, head to Dallas, GA and pick up highway 278. Look for the cross street "Seaboard Drive" and turn south. You will pass under the trail and parking will be on your left.

Bill

Hi folks. Thanks again for all of the suggestions. They came in very handy! We ended up riding on Sunday. It was chilly and windy and my wife was a bit under the weather but I got the girls out for a little while anyway. We decided to start in Rockmart. We started to head west. I was warned that this section was a little hilly but looking at the published profiles I thought the hilly started out a little further. Wrong. We ended up going about 3.5 miles out and turned around back to Rockmart. The hills would have been fine for me on my own but they were a bit trying for my wife and there was one as we came up to HWY 278 that I was a little leary of taking on the tandem with my daughter (also know as the captain was unprepared to get into an easy enough gear to get up it ;) ).

So we headed back to Rockmart and stopped at the park there. What a beautiful park along that creek. Pictures below. Then we headed east toward Coots Lake Beach. We didn't quite make it there. Looks like we missed it by about .5 miles. But my wife was ready to turn around at that point. I wasn't quite sure how far it was to Coots Lake Beach when we turned around. But she will probably be dissappointed that we missed it by so little.

Anyway, we got in 15 miles and spent a little under two hours out on the trail (including stops). We will definitely be going back to ride the Silver Comet. We really had a great time (despite the chill and wind). Thanks again for your help.

http://johnkscott.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/img_1046-1024x768.jpg
http://johnkscott.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/img_1052-1024x768.jpg
http://johnkscott.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/img_1051-1024x768.jpg
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I wish I was there to tell you to head east from the beginning. The little hills start pretty much right away as you head west, and the big ones are waiting for you about 8 miles down. And since that first section parallels a major four lane road for several miles it's not particularly scenic. It's a "get through it and onto the good part" section.

East, on the other hand, is directly down the old railroad right of way and basically flat (with some very gradual upslopes and downslopes) for 37 miles. It doesn't parallel any roads for miles and it goes through a very forested country in that section. Fall is a great time to ride through there. And about 7.5 miles from Rockmart you hit the 800 foot long Brushy Mountain tunnel, which is a memorable landmark and a trip to ride through. Turning around at that point and heading back to Rockmart makes a 15 mile round trip.

As to Coot's Lake, you might be imagining something grander than it is. Coot's Lake Rd crosses the trail there and there's a little lake by the road that has a little paid beach open in summer, but honestly it isn't a whole lot more than a swimming hole. The best thing about it is just down from where the trail crosses the road there is a gas station with a convenience store. If you're coming from the east, it's the first sign of civilization, and a place to buy a drink on a hot summer day, for many miles. It's 13 miles from there back to the Tara Drummond Plaza, which has a drinking fountain (and bathrooms) but no store.

Brushy Mountain tunnel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67376905@N00/340455747/) (Take a look. I don't want to steal this person's picture but it's worth checking out. The tunnel is three stories high.)

Very cool picture. And thanks for the additional info. We are definitely going back to ride the trail. We will probably bunk in Hiram and check it out both directions from there. We really enjoyed it! Long term goal is to get my wife in good enough shape to do the whole thing with me (including the hillier sections) :D.

The first five or so miles west of Rockmart is indeed a non-impressive stretch. I agree with all the above posts. Mile marker 9 is the eastmost place to begin/end.