East Athens Trifecta
Trip Details:
Three State Park trip just East of Athens, GA. All three within 1 hour drive of each other.
Type: Weekend/Overnight Trip
Destinations: Victoria Bryant State Park, Watson Mill Bridge State Park, & Richard B. Russell State Park
Hotels:
Budget: Days Inn by Wyndham Royston, Days Inn by Wyndham Elberton,
Indoor Quality: Hampton Inn Hartwell
Using Google Maps, you can copy and paste the location name or coordinates into the google map search to find the Visitor Center/Main Office, since most do not have exact locations listed on their maps. It is recommended to visit, obtain a map, and talk with the Rangers about the park.
Can always pick up a souvenir as well.
Watson Mill Bridge State Park
Link: https://gastateparks.org/WatsonMillBridge
Visitor Center: Google Maps Location 34.02502, -83.07502
Park Type: River, Forests, Ruins
Unique Features: Largest Covered Bridge in State
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Hiking Trails:
Powerhouse Trail - Trailhead located in the southern part of the park, parking at the Visitor center. Roughly two miles in length depending on the many different lanes to take. Easy difficulty. Follows the South Fork River through the Old Powerhouse Ruins. Excellent river rapids views and ruins with history information.
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Beaver Creek Trail - Trailhead located on the North side of the covered bridge, parking on Watson Mill Road. 1.5-mile loop following the creek and through the hardwood forest. Easy to Moderate difficulty. Woodland trail with tree roots, rocks, and possible mud. Excellent birding area.
Watson Mill Bridge over South Fork River
Richard B. Russell State Park
Link: https://gastateparks.org/RichardBRussell
Visitor Center Location on Google Maps: 34.179396, -82.764488
Park Type: Lake
Unique Features: 26,650 acre lake with a beach swimming area
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Hiking Trails:
Blackwell Bridge Trail - Trailhead located at the end of Christian Rd off of Russell State Park Dr, parking near the beach area. 1.6-miles loop Easy to moderate difficulty, crosses over a big steel bridge and the trail loops around back into forest area. Excellent views of the lake.
Victoria Bryant State Park
Link: https://gastateparks.org/VictoriaBryant
Visitor Center Location on Google Maps: Victoria Bryant State Park Pool
Park Type: River/Forested
Unique Features: Rice Creek with river rapids
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Hiking Trails:
Perimeter Trail to Victoria's Path Trail - Trailhead located at the entrance gate. 2.5-mile modified loop trail. Easy to Moderate Difficulty. Modified due to the many different routes to take along the Perimeter Trail. I recommend starting at the trailhead, continuing through the winding trail across the golf course. Connecting to the Beaver River Loop Trail to see the observation overlook. Then, returning back the to the perimeter and continuing towards Rice Creek and Victoria's Path. Following the creek for some serene creek water sounds. Reaching the payment and continuing up the creek to the river rapids and finally looping back around to the parking areas.
Rice Creek in Victoria Bryant State Park