Athens Area
Athens Area Hikes
In the late 1700s, at the present site of the town of Athens, there was a trading post called Cedar Shoals, conveniently located on the banks of the Oconee River. In the early 1800s, work began on the first state-supported university in Georgia: The University of Georgia. At the same time, the area surrounding the university was named Athens, after the Athens in Greece that housed the academy of Plato and Aristotle. Thanks to the college, as well as some cotton mills, Athens gradually developed into a fairly large town. One of Georgia's first railroads was finished in 1841 - it connected Athens to Augusta. It was extended to Atlanta as well by 1845. Today, Athens is a one of the larger towns in the northeastern segment of the Georgia Piedmont. It is home to some night life due to the University of Georgia that is in the town.
Athens is located in the low hills of the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge Mountains are over an hour away. This limits the recreational/hiking opportunities in the Athens area. However, there are a couple of locations that are notable in terms of hiking. Just to the south of Athens, the northern sector of Oconee National Forest protects a section of the Oconee River at the north end of Oconee Lake. There are several possibilities for hiking throughout the hilly forest and along the Oconee River. To the west of Oconee National Forest, Hard Labor Creek State Park has several nature trails near Hard Labor Creek, and a plethora of equestrian and mountain biking trails. To the east of Athens, a short section of the South Fork Broad River is conserved by Watson Mill Bridge State Park, and several hiking trails traverse the river valley. The park also has one of the few remaining wooden covered bridges in Georgia. Last but not least, to the west of Athens near the town of Winder, Fort Yargo State Park has a number of hiking and biking trails around the shores of Fort Yargo Lake. The park protects the site of an old fort and a couple of structures that have to do with the fort.
Athens is located in the low hills of the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge Mountains are over an hour away. This limits the recreational/hiking opportunities in the Athens area. However, there are a couple of locations that are notable in terms of hiking. Just to the south of Athens, the northern sector of Oconee National Forest protects a section of the Oconee River at the north end of Oconee Lake. There are several possibilities for hiking throughout the hilly forest and along the Oconee River. To the west of Oconee National Forest, Hard Labor Creek State Park has several nature trails near Hard Labor Creek, and a plethora of equestrian and mountain biking trails. To the east of Athens, a short section of the South Fork Broad River is conserved by Watson Mill Bridge State Park, and several hiking trails traverse the river valley. The park also has one of the few remaining wooden covered bridges in Georgia. Last but not least, to the west of Athens near the town of Winder, Fort Yargo State Park has a number of hiking and biking trails around the shores of Fort Yargo Lake. The park protects the site of an old fort and a couple of structures that have to do with the fort.