silver comet trail

This trail is a walker, biker, runner, rollerblader's delight. Meander through tall trees on this safe and easy trail.

Long trail with scenic views, covered bridges, biking, dogs, people... Go as far as you like or not at all. Stroll or jog it. Bike it or skate it. It's got something for everyone. City planners take note. People want to live where there are natural places and trails.

I enjoy walking on the Silver Comet Trail. It's peaceful and lined with lovely trees and flowering plants. The trail is not as nice when a lot of cyclists are riding on the trail. They are not always cordial. The trail is also relatively flat (which is why it's great for cycling).

Lengthy paved trail running for more than 50 miles with very scenic views. There are many entrances and exits west of Marietta, ga. Good for walking, jogging, inline skating and cycling. Often many people on the trail. When not many people consider safety risks if going solo

I've been in Atlanta for 9 years now, and i still believe the Silver Comet trail is one of the best places you can go for a great run on any day. It's relatively flat, and it's a nice getaway from busy streets of metro Atlanta. There are certain sections that will get really busy on a nice spring and fall day, such as the section between Publix on the EW Connector that runs West about 4 miles. It will begin to thin at at that point. When it's crowded, it's best to keep your eyes and ears open, as bikers can begin to weave in and out of runners.

I just completed a one day cycling trip on the trail between mile marker 0 in Smyrna and the end of the trail on the GA/AL state border (approx. 62.5 miles). Considering the weather, there were not many people on the trail beyond the first few Cobb county trailheads where I saw runners and joggers. The trail in Cobb county was pristine, clearly marked, and it looked very well maintained. You do cross multiple surface streets, which require stopping. There are multiple trailheads that have restroom and parking facilities on the way. After you enter Paulding county, you are basically leaving suburban Atlanta, and you see less people and more forest and farms. The Paulding county sheriff patrols the route with small motorized vehicles and I saw at least 3 of them on different sections of the trail. The scenery is attractive, albeit it can get a little eerie at times, as you are cycling through some high-growth forest all around you and you may not see any other people for miles. This is a good point to mention that you should have a fully charged cell phone and let someone know where exactly you are going and check in from time to time, especially if you are riding solo. After you enter Polk county, the trail changes again, you see some very cool former train tunnels, but you see even less people until you hit Rockmart at mile 38. That is a good place to stop for a while, as the section between Rockmart and Cedartown is the most challenging. Rockmart has a very friendly depot staff, right off the trail at 100 Church Street. Although I had a hard time understanding the deep south accents, the people were super friendly, provided me with advice, free maps, etc. Rockmart to Cedartown: expect hilly, undulating terrain, switchbacks, boardwalks, on-street riding, disconnected pieces of the trail that pick up at different places across roads or railroad tracks, etc. This is the section of the trail in which there are some challenging hills that take you up to 1000+ feet elevation, close to a working landfill. The slope after those is mostly downhill and there's potential for some serious falls if the trail is wet or you're going too fast. Once you get to Cedartown, there is a welcome center, bike repair stand, etc. Very nice touch. Couldn't find a place to buy quick food, however, as the advertised Deli seemed to have gone out of business. Another tip: bring plenty of food and drink if you're going all the way! The terrain after Cedartown is mostly flat, and you're riding through some wild country, swamps, farms, and some very picturesque trailer neighborhoods (Cedartown does appear like a place you don't want to be caught after dark), until you eventually reach the end of the trail exactly at the GA/AL state line, where you'll find a tiny park (Gateway Park) and a trailhead (Esom Hill) with a parking lot only (no restrooms!). Be forewarned however: the trail ends in a very remote area, and my cell phone had no connection, as neither did that of the person picking me up. I repeatedly lost GPS signal as well and ended up going into Slaughter's Grocery store (from Esom Hill trailhead head down on Hardin St. until it dead-ends and turn left, you'll see the sign on the left right away -- about 2 blocks) to use their phone and facilities. Of course, I didn't bring cash, and conveniently they don't take cards in Esom Hill. I ended up watching parts of a bowl game with the owner and that passed the time well, until I was picked up, after 3 hour wait (see above). Highly recommend the Slaugter's grocery store in Esom Hill - you'll see an authentic southern store populated by really friendly characters that talk and swap stories with anyone that comes in, even if wearing lycra and cycling shoes. Lessons learned:-- Bring cash, plenty water and snacks-- Make sure you know where you're going and where to be picked up exactly and the time-- Don't go solo, if you have the choice, in particular, if female-- Get a good GPS and make plans for areas with no cell-phone coveragePATH foundation & Trail maintenance organizations:-- Work on improving cell coverage in Polk county until Alabama border?-- Warn people how desolate the end of the trail is? -- Provide some kind of a SAG service to bring back cyclists to Atlanta? I would have paid at least $40-- Sections of the trail, especially in Paulding and Polk county were very remote and desolate, absolutely no notion of any security was present anywhere OVERALL: Great bicycling, great trail itself, good scenery, friendly locals, lack of security in Polk and most of Paulding counties, limited GPS and phone coverage on the western edge of the trail.

This quiet, non-motorized, paved trail is for walkers, hikers, bicyclists, rollerbladers, horses, dog walkers, and is also wheelchair accessible.

Can't beat the value since it's free. Great route for biking (also walking, running). No motorized vehicles allowed. Since it's a former railroad bed there are no steep grades. All public road crossings have traffic lights. You can get on and off the trail wherever you want to. Geocachers can find caches along the way. Trails off the main route can be explored too. Near the covered bridge in Smyrna is a ruin of a Civil War uniform factory!

Walk as far as you want... ask a relative to pick you up. Better yet, get on your bike. Nice trail and setting in Smyrna. Goes all the way to Rocksmart, quite a walk. Its safe and fun. People are very friendly.

I have enjoyed the trail since its beginning. A wonderful resource. A great place to enjoy nature and get exercize

The silver comet is a nice paved trail for a relaxed run or bike ride. It is well maintained especially considering it is surrounded by trees for the most part. It can get crowded with people who don't respect the trail etiquette and clog up really wide path. Really the only other issue is there are very few places to get water so make sure you bring plenty of water.

The Silver Comet Trail is a wonderful place to go for a walk, take your kids for a bike ride or gear up and take long bike ride with your serious biking friends. Close into Atlanta it is crowded on weekends and the long distance rider needs to use caution and slow down. Once you get 10 miles out the crowd seirously thins and you can get your ride on. With 55 miles in Georgia and another 30 or so in Alabama you can take a seirous ride on this trail. It is maintained by various counties so the trail ranges form excellent in Cobb to fair further out.

Rode just past mile marker 15 with my spouse. We are not the avid road cyclists one sees but we do like to bike in our “comfort” bikes. The course is deceptively flat. What I mean is that we were able to traverse the 15 miles one way because I kept telling myself and my wife that it was essentially flat and the trip back would be easy. Let me tell you…it was not easy and we were worn out. All total we traveled in excess of 31 miles.The scenery is nice and at times you have to be careful due to other on the trail. You cross many roadways which require common sense crossing but you also have the option of requesting a signal change. They do have water fountains and chairs along the course for needed rest stops.We spent in excess of three hours on the trail and we covered just 15 + miles one way and the trail is 60+ miles one way. So for you avid riders, you can cover the course in daylight hours which is all that the public is permitted to use on the trail.Will go back in the future as we will attempt to go further and beat our time. The fantastic thing about is…you don’t have to worry about cars coming up behind you and running you over!

This is a great outing for bicycling: no cars and pleasant scenery. Unfortunately, the Moms (walking) sometimes forget to go single file and create problems.This is a great outing and I wish Atlanta had more of this type of activity!

It was easy to rent bicycles and helmets from Silver Comet Cycles right on the trail at Mile 4.2 in Mableton, GA. You can rent by the hour or the day. The people were nice and the trail was lovely. There were lots of trees/shade.