Medlock Parks

November 02, 2019 by Shawn Taylor in parks

These parks are all linked together by both a paved multi-use trail and by unpaved hiking trails. This is a very popular park, especially on weekends.

The PATH trail connects Mason Mill Park to Medlock Park. The PATH trail is partly paved and partly boardwalk. It is intended for high volumes of pedestrians and cyclists. A map is available online.
The hills along the PATH route are minimal. The PATH trail has several nice views of South Fork Peachtree Creek from an elevated boardwalk.

On the other hand, the off-road trails have many very steep hills with some tricky footing, often with exposed roots. There are some blazes on the off-road trails: red, blue, and white rectangles painted on trees.

[Edit, November 2019:] The PATH has recently been extended from Mason Mill Park north all the way to N Druid Hills Rd and also west from Melton Park all the way to Emory University. It’s now quite convenient to combine a trip to these parks with Lullwater Preserve.

Finding the primary trailhead: Make a right from N Druid Hills Rd onto Clairmont Rd. Take the second left onto McConnell Dr. A large, free parking lot is available at Mason Mill Park.

Address (approximate): 1340 McConnell Dr., Decatur, GA 30033
Cost of admission: None
Governance: DeKalb County
Acres: 140+
Approximate miles of trails: 4
Hours: PATH: dawn to dusk; parks: 7:00am to sunset
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 5
MARTA directions: Take the 19 bus from Chamblee or Decatur station to Clairmont Rd@McConnell Dr. From there, walk East on McConnell Dr. The PATH trails begin at the end of McConnell Dr., heading north and east.
Cycling directions: My preferred route is to take MARTA or the PATH to Decatur Station. From there, go east on Sycamore St. then left on Sycamore Pl. Take the first right on E Ponce and then the first left on Glendale. Take a slight left to stay on Glendale. At the end of Glendale, take a left on Forkner. Cross Church St. and continue straight(ish) on Medlock. Take Medlock all the way to the end, then turn left on Gaylemont Cir. Once you see Medlock Park, turn left into it.
Parking: Parking is available at Medlock and Mason Mill Parks.
Trail surface: The PATH trail is paved and boardwalk. Other trails are natural surface.
Geocaching: Yes
Guidebook mentions: Chapter 4 in Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests

Features:

Mason Mill Park
- Bike racks
- Playground
- Multi-use field
- Recreation center
- Tennis courts
- Picnic area
- Garden
- Bathroom
- Dog park (separate from the main park)
Medlock Park
- Baseball and softball fields
- Playground
- Swimming pool
- Picnic area

Links:

DeKalb County (includes information about programming available at the parks)
PATH Foundation
DeKalb County master plan

August 13, 2016

October 26, 2014

August 13, 2016

January 17, 2017

Medlock Park Community Garden, January 17, 2017

April 29, 2017

February 18, 2018

November 2, 2019

Good to combine with:

Featured

Lullwater Preserve and Hahn Woods

Kittredge Park

W.D. Thomson Park

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

Updated August 2, 2016, January 17, 2017, April 29, 2017, February 18, 2018, & November 2, 2019

WildWoods & Fernbank Forest

Fernbank Forest

September 16, 2018 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Once you've entered the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, walk down the stairs (or take the elevator) and exit through the doors to get to the woods.

Address: 767 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30307
Admission: $20/adult, see site for other prices (includes museum admission)
Acres: 75
Approximate miles of trails: 2
Hours: Open 10-5 daily. Fernbank Forest closes at 4:30pm; WildWoods and the museum close at 5.
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 4
MARTA directions: Take the #2 bus from East Lake or North Avenue Station to Ponce De Leon Ave NE @ Clifton Rd. From there, walk north on Clifton Rd. The entrance to Fernbank Museum of Natural History is on the right. The woods are accessed through the museum. The walk from the bus stop is approximately 0.2 miles.
Cycling directions: Follow the Stone Mountain PATH trail to its intersection with S Ponce. Turn right on S Ponce. At the first intersection, turn left onto Clifton Rd. Cross Ponce and continue on Clifton. Turn right into the Museum area. Continue straight to the end where the museum is. Go around the dinosaurs to the right to the bike rack. (The rack is to the right of the main entrance, next to the parking lot.)
Parking: There are two parking lots at the museum.
Trailhead: Once you have paid and entered the museum, go downstairs and out the doors. The trails begin just outside the doors.
Trail surface: Mostly paved, with some natural and boardwalk sections

Amenities:

Playgrounds
Cafe
Museum
Restrooms and water fountains in the museum and at the Kendeda Pavilion in WildWoods
Vending machines in the museum
Movie theater

Links:
Wildwoods
Fernbank Forest

WildWoods

WildWoods is a new, outdoor exhibit of Fernbank Museum of Natural History. It features several hands-on elements, an elevated boardwalk, interpretive signage, and a couple of playground areas. In the 1930s, there was a landscaped garden here. A stone wall remains from those days.

October 20, 2016

March 17, 2018

Features:

Two playgrounds
Restroom
Seasonal exhibit
ADA accessible

Just past the WildWoods area lies Fernbank Forest.

Fernbank Forest

Until July 2012, Fernbank Forest was publicly-accessible. At that time, a lease ended, and the property was transferred from the Fernbank Science Center and the DeKalb County School District to Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

In September 2016, it reopened for self-guided tours as part of Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Museum admission or membership is required for forest access.

Fernbank Forest is an old-growth Piedmont forest, with large beech trees, tulip poplars, and 7 trees on Trees Atlanta's champion trees map. Some segments of the forest are very similar to Deepdene Park in Olmsted Linear Park, which is located nearby. In the years while the forest was closed to the public, the museum restored the forest, removing invasive species. Restoration work continues.

Links:
http://www.fernbank.edu/forest.htm
http://www.clatl.com/news/article/13081005/fernbank-forest-reopening-in-2016

Atlanta's champion Eastern Hemlock, October 20, 2016

October 20, 2016

Cooper's Hawk, December 30, 2017

Barred Owl, March 17, 2018

For more photos, see my flickr album.

From around the web

Recent iNaturalist observations

Random eBird sightings from the last 30 days

Good to combine with:

Featured

Lullwater Preserve and Hahn Woods

Olmsted Linear Park

Lullwater Conservation Garden

Frazer Forest

Woodlands Garden

Updated October 24, 2016, December 30, 2017, March 17, 2018, & September 16, 2018

Lullwater Conservation Garden

December 10, 2017 by Shawn Taylor in parks

This tiny 6.5 acre park is home to a number of truly large trees, including a state co-champion beech.

The Lullwater Garden Club was founded in 1928, and they purchased Lullwater Conservation Garden from Emory University in 1964.

Address (approximate): 834 Lullwater Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Admission: Free
Acres: 6.5
Approximate miles of trails: <1
Hours: Uncertain
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 4
Trail surface: Natural

Links:
Lullwater Garden Club