I have written about this trail several times before and every time we ride it we remember why we like it. On this particular ride, we decided to do only the Fall Line Trace trail without going all the way down to the Chattahoochee Riverwalk Trail as we normally would. It was quite hot outside, so we decided to stop much more frequently and really get some good photos of the sights along this specific trail line.
Scott had just received his new camera and we were trying it out all along the way grabbing shots of interesting spots and buildings. Photography is one of Scott’s passions, so we stopped a lot.
On this trail, you begin at the trailhead at Psalmond Road on the northside of Columbus, GA. The mile markers count down as you approach downtown Columbus and a mile or two into the ride, you come across Flat Rock Park. It is a large park with some interesting water features that include, you guessed it, flat rocks. When the water is flowing I am sure it is beautiful. All the times we have stopped in at this park, the bathrooms have all been locked and the water was not flowing over the rocks. Bummer.
This trail leads from the northern suburbs of Columbus to the heart of downtown, so you do see a small amount of traffic from commuters, day users, and Columbus State college students.
From the trailhead, you begin riding through tree covered canopy, but as you get closer to downtown, the industrial buildings begin to dot the landscape here and there.
There are several road crossings on this trail, but it has always seemed that the road drivers were aware of the trail, cautious, and courteous to us. There are buttons to push, but that is only needed about half the time.
When you near the Columbus Airport, the trail begins to go alongside the Manchester Expressway (Alt 27). The rest stop that we use on this trail is directly across from the Columbus Mall and the Columbus Airport. It has restrooms that have never been locked for us, a filtered water station for refilling bottles, and a bike repair stand with tools. The rest stop building is in a very small park with a playground and benches for taking a break.
Heading south on the trail from the rest stop you begin to cross over more major intersections with pedestrian signals. We have never had any issues with these intersections either, provided we obeyed the traffic laws.
At the intersection of the Manchester Expressway (Alt 27) and I-285 in Columbus, you will come upon the Columbus State University main campus. We stopped here for a longer break before turning around to head back to the truck. You have to take a path off the trail to jump onto the campus roads, but it is easy to see and get to. Just keep an eye out for the baseball fields. You can’t miss it.
While we were enjoying our snack break, we noticed an airplane doing stalls over by the airport. The longer we watched him, the more we realized that he must have been practicing for an upcoming air show. He was doing stalls, rolls, and dives to our endless delight. It was fascinating to watch.
The photo below is for our grandson, William. If he sees this someday, he can fondly remember his times visiting us and drinking cases of Dr. Pepper. We love you William!
Back at the truck as dusk was upon us, we loaded up the bikes and headed home. Another fun day ride behind us with many more plans for Shanty Traveling in the future. Happy Travels ~Deborah
Ride with GPS Route
Below is the embed for our actual Ride with GPS profile ride from this trip, you can click on the title for more details.
