Family Fun on Georgia's Silver Comet Trail

Finding family friendly outdoor fitness activities when traveling to large cities can often be difficult, but not if you know where to look. Beginning right outside of Atlanta’s perimeter in Smyrna, the Silver Comet Trail is one of Georgia’s best and most popular paths. Captivating views stretching more than 60 miles to Alabama are one of the Silver Comet’s best features. It’s scenic, clean, well maintained and is quite the hot spot on the weekend. I should know, I log endless miles marathon training there.
While running is my exercise of choice, the trail also welcomes walking, hiking, biking, rollerblading and other non-motorized activities; and you’re likely to see a nice mix of all of them. Nestled right outside the 4.2 mile marker on Floyd Road is the Silver Comet Depot open 7-days a week for rentals and all your cycling needs. They have plenty of parking and restrooms, too, as do many of the Comet’s trailheads.

Just like the Metro-Atlanta community, the Silver Comet Trail boasts a diverse crowd of various ethnicities and ages; and welcomes four-legged family members, too. The regular users are polite, friendly and considerate – trail etiquette and safety is so important. I rarely see trash or dog poop; and I’m often greeted by friendly faces passing by. The trail can get quite crowed on the weekends so staying alert and to the right of bikers is necessary. Its main drawback is stretches of deserted miles during the weekdays which poses safety concerns for solo athletes.