Sope Creek MTB Trail

Sope Creek MTB Trail is a MTB trail maintenanced by MTB Atlanta. There are three access points to the trail which are all located around 20 minutes away from downtown Atlanta!

Where should I go to access the Sope Creek MTB Trail?

The trail can be accessed from Cochran Shoals Trailhead or Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Cochran Shoals Unit). You can also access it from the Sope Creek Entrance on Paper Mill Rd. 

I always use the Cochran Shoals Trailhead since it has the most amount of parking. In the summer, even this parking can be filled up. But there is a separate parking lot on the other side of the bridge (Powers Island Trailhead). Cochran Shoals Trailhead is located right off the exit of I-75 and I-285, making it the most convenient.

How and what are the trails like?

Sope Creek in my opinion is one of the best trails located near Metro Atlanta. It’s neither too difficult nor too easy. I have ridden Sope Creek on a range of bikes from fixie, gravel bike, and mountain bike.

The trail is shaped in a figure eight with two loops on the north and south. Both loops alternate directions daily so you can get a totally different “feel” for the trail over two days. The two loops are connected with a short bi-directional trail in the middle. I personally love going north on this connector! (going south is all uphill lol)

In my opinion, the counter-clockwise loop (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) is an “official” MTB trail with a decent uphill start and a nice downhill after the climbing. The other days don’t have as much of a “descent”. 

See more data about Sope Creek from the MTB Project website!

What should I know about Sope Creek MTB Trail before visiting?

Water: yes

Restrooms: yes

Parking Fee: yes ($5 daily pass, $40 annual pass from day of purchase)

Night Riding: no (park opens at sunrise and closes at sunset)

Repair Stand: no

Make sure to check the trail status! DO NOT RIDE AFTER RAIN!
TEXT “Ride” to 770-727-5061 for trail status!

My take of Sope Creek MTB Trail

Sope Creek MTB trail is definitely my go-to trail living in Atlanta. It is of the highest quality for its location. I personally like going on weekdays since there’s usually lots of people on weekends. The trail allows hiking so you may have to slow down a decent amount on weekends. Comparatively, weekdays are typically much fewer hikers and only fellow mountain bikers.

Below is a short MTB video from when I rode the trail during the fall!