Mulberry Riverwalk and Waterfall (Barrow County, Georgia)

Another of my psuedo-urban hikes takes me to the Mulberry Riverwalk in Braselton this morning. It's nice being able to get a few trail miles in before I start work and more importantly, before the Georgia summer heat kicks in for the day. The trailhead is just a few miles from my home and when I arrive on this early Tuesday morning, there are only two other cars in the small lot.

Quickly departing the parking lot, the trail starts out as a paved path, but soon turns to a single track that is not yet overgrown, but certainly on its way in that direction in places. The trail runs parallel and above the Little Mulberry River, which is really nothing more than a shallow creek twisting and turning its way through northeastern corner of the Atlanta Metro Area. It's flat and I'm able to keep a good pace. I start out with some headphones and listening to a podcast, but as I see the number of places along the way for a snake to be laying and given the proximity to water, I decide to remove them from my ears and focus on my surroundings.

At several points along the way, the foliage opens up for a view of the river twenty or so feet below the trail. I can see the bottom and it's a bit muddy, but it has washed out this canyon in such a way that it reminds me of the creeks in western Kentucky that I used to play in as a kid.

As I continue along, I arrive at the "waterfall". It's not really much of a fall, but a natural slab of granite stretches across the width of the river here and forces the water into a chute situation. If the water were cleaner, it would be probably be fun to slide over this "waterfall" on a tube or one's rump. Still though, it's a nice scene so close to the city.

Further down the trail, I encounter a little friend. A small (7-8 inches long) eastern box turtle has made his way out onto the trial. Cute little guy. I stop for a picture, but quickly move on, as I need to finish the hike and start work pretty soon. 

Eventually reaching the loop on the end, which follows a sharp 180-degree bend in the small river, I'm put turned around and headed back towards my jeep. I do encounter a few folks on the way back. The trail comes near a few neighborhoods and I imagine it offers some great opportunities for morning runs or walks. Arriving back at the jeep, I check my distance I was able to get in just over 5.4 miles this morning. Not a bad way to start the day.