Cochran Shoals (Cobb County, Georgia)

Of all of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area's many units Cochran Shoals is said to be the most popular. It's also one of the few that I haven't visited yet since moving to Atlanta. With a couple of days of good weather and some free time before I have to start work this morning, I thought it would be nice to get out for a mid-week hike this morning. It's also the first time I've put in any real miles since running the half-marathon on Saturday. My legs have had a couple of days to recover and feel pretty good.

Arriving at the parking lot, the reputation as the busiest unit seems justified. There are already twenty or more cars here and several people are prepping for their morning runs, walks, rides on the park's many trails. As I depart the parking lot, the wide gravel and earth trail follows the river's shoreline and provides some nice views. The shallow water forms some very mellow rapids over the subsurface rocks.

There are a couple of wooden observation decks constructed to overlook the river. As I approach one, I see a large heron standing gloriously on the rail of the structure and overlooking his domain. Not wanting to disturb him, I take a couple of pictures and move on. Eventually, I take a side trail to double back the direction I came from, but on a slightly higher trail. There are a number of intersecting trails here, but as I have only a short time, I need to head back. After getting back to my jeep, I see I've hiked about 3.9 miles this morning, though with the ease of these trails, it was really more like a stroll along the river.