Bicycling on the Silver Comet Trail
This trail had been on our "want to ride" list for a long time,
and we finally had the opportunity to ride it in October, 2005.
It more than met our expectations!
The trail begins in Smyrna and goes 37.47 miles to Rockmart.
then picks up again at Cedartown
and goes to the Alabama border. The Smyrna trailhead
is not far off the I-285 beltway around
Atlanta. It was wonderful to find a sign on I-285 informing
travelers to take Exit #15 for the Silver Comet Trail.
After you exit I-285, signs direct you to the trailhead.
The signs leading to the eastern trailhead were, however, the only signs
we found to parking places. You will need a map to find trail access west of
Smyrna; which can be found at:
TrailExpress.com.
The official website is
Silver Comet Trail, but the map has not been updated since 2002 and
does not show the western end, the portion from Cedartown to the Alabama
border.
The first several miles of the eastern section goes through thickly populated
areas. The trail is heavily used by young families. It's wonderful to
see families with small children enjoying the trail together, that's
why we call Rail Trails "Family Value Trails." It's obvious that a lot
of young adults use the trail for exercise too. Since it's paved many ride
road bikes; they take full advantage
of not having to deal with traffic and ride at top speed for
many miles.
We've ridden rail trails all over the US and in Canada, but this was
the first we've ridden that has lights in overpass tunnels. There
are also lights in the Brush Mountain Railroad Tunnel at milepost 30.79.
This is a first-class trail!
Riding west, the trail becomes more remote by degrees. Eventually
there were long stretches that are totally country with no
houses in sight. You might expect to practically have the trail
to yourself that far away from heavily populated areas; however
we found it was best to stay on the right side
of the trail; the road bikers ride at top speed out there.
The surface is paved all the way. It appears that many
adjoining property owners appreciate the trail and plant
flowers and do other things to make it look like a park.
It certainly is a beautiful trail.
We thoroughly enjoyed the trail and hope to return again someday.
Here are some photos to give you an idea of the
beauty of the trail.
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