Georgia Botanical Garden: White Trail (Blog Hike #188)

Trail: White Trail

Hike Location: State Botanical Garden of Georgia

Geographic Location: south side of Athens, GA (33.90326, -83.38285)

Length: 3.3 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: December 2005, October 2008, February 2013

Overview: A moderate hike first along the banks of the Oconee River and then through the surrounding upland forest.

Garden Information: http://botgarden.uga.edu/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=941382
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the south side of Athens, take the Perimeter Road (SR 10 Loop) to SR 15/Milledge Ave. (exit 6).  Exit and go south on Milledge Ave.  Take Milledge Ave. 1 mile to the garden entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the garden.  Follow the main garden road through the entrance gate and bear right, following signs for the Callaway Building.  Park in the blacktop lot between the Callaway Building and the Visitor Center.  The trail starts at the far end of this parking lot.

The hike: For my general comments on the State Botanical Garden, see the Orange Trail blog entry.  While both of the main trails through the garden (White and Orange) offer interesting and rewarding hikes, the White Trail stands as my favorite because it passes through a wider variety of terrain.  Also, while the Orange Trail forms an isolated loop through the southeast corner of the garden, the White Trail connects with several other trails, allowing for shorter or longer loop options.  Of course, the ultimate trek would be to combine the Orange and White trails into a 5 mile “around the garden” hike.

            The White Trail begins near a stone wall at the far end of the parking lot; watch for the white paint blazes.  The trail immediately begins a gradual descent toward the Middle Oconee River, winding its way downhill.  At 0.2 miles, a spur trail of the Orange Trail comes in from the left while the White Trail angles right and soon reaches a power line clearing.  Pass through a gate in the wire garden fence and follow the power line clearing downhill to intersect the Orange Trail beside the river.  When I hiked this trail, a major clearing project had just been completed on the underbrush under the power line creating a wide, grassy walkway.

Middle Oconee River

            The Orange Trail departs to the left and follows the river downstream while the White Trail turns right, crosses a wooden footbridge, and follows the river upstream.  For the next 0.5 mile, the trail follows the river bank with the river on the left and some dense, scrubby brush on your right.  In the summer, the river and the dense understory give this section of trail a tropical feel.  You will see that some of the brush has been removed, and a sign along the trail indicates that this removal is part of a study on the effects of the invasive Chinese Privet shrub on the native Georgia forest.  While this garden exists for public recreation, it is operated by the University of Georgia and thus is used for research purposes as well.

            0.8 miles into the hike, the trail takes an abrupt right turn away from the river and comes to an intersection with the Blue Trail.  Bearing right on the Blue Trail would provide a shorter route back to the parking lot and a roundtrip hike of 1.8 miles.  This description will continue on the White Trail and bear left.  As the ravine walls close in, you can see there is nowhere to go but up.  Sure enough, the trail begins to climb away from the river, gaining 150 feet of elevation over the next 0.3 miles.  A pair of switchbacks ease the climb, so the grade never becomes too steep.  A bench halfway up the hill also provides rest for the weary.

Benches on the White Trail

            At 1.2 miles, the trail completes the climb away from the river and arrives at a newly constructed trail shelter complete with garden map and bench.  This shelter coincides with a trail intersection as the Green Trail exits to the right, offering another way to shorten the hike.  The White Trail continues to the left and descends a short distance to yet another trail junction with the Red Trail.  The Red Trail rejoins the White Trail in 0.3 miles, so either route could be chosen here.  This description will stay on the White Trail and head left at this junction.

Climbing on the White Trail

            The White Trail descends moderately while crossing some channels dug to help funnel water away from the trail.  After a single switchback, the trail crosses a small stream on a wooden footbridge and then arrives at the other end of the Red Trail, which heads uphill to the right.  The White Trail continues to follow a small creek on the left, heading upstream.  1.8 miles into the hike, the trail curves to the right to cross a steep ridge before beginning a descent into the next ravine.

Passing under a power line

            The trail curves left, passes under the power line for the second time, then completes the descent into the narrow ravine.  This is perhaps my favorite section of trail in the preserve.  There is barely room between the creek and the nearly vertical ravine walls for a person to walk, but the trail manages to squeeze through, using wooden footbridges to cross back and forth across the creek.  After crossing the creek a total of five times, all on footbridge, the ravine opens up and the trail makes a sweeping right turn, heading uphill out of the ravine.

Footbridges in narrow ravine

            Some buildings that form part of the University of Georgia School of Agriculture can be seen uphill through the trees on the left as the trail follows the contour of the hillside.  For the next 0.4 miles, the trail moves up and down the hillside with the garden boundary near to the left and the ravine downhill to the right.  At 2.7 miles, the trail passes under the power line again and briefly joins a service road.  This area is actually a reclaimed landfill, and a large number of wells have been dug to test the quality of the groundwater in this area.  Do not drink groundwater here or elsewhere in the state of Georgia unless it has been treated first.  The testing area has several access roads that intersect the trail, so keep watch for the white blazes so that you don’t make a wrong turn.

Historic chimney along the White Trail

            At 3.1 miles, the White Trail intersects the Red Trail, where you must make a sharp left turn to remain on the White Trail.  The two trails share a treadway for a short distance before the Red Trail exits to the right.  The White Trail climbs moderately on what appears to be an old roadbed.  In 50 yards, the trail abruptly curves left to begin a section of trail that has recently been relocated off of the old roadbed.  Some old, faint white blazes still appear along the roadbed, but that trail is no longer maintained.

            At 3.4 miles, the trail rejoins the old roadbed just before arriving at a major trail junction at the Dahlia Garden.  The Green and Blue trails separately exit to the right while the White Trail heads uphill to the left, passing under the power lines for the last time.  After passing through a grassy clearing, the trail reenters the woods; watch for the white blazes to ensure you do not lose the trail.
            The trail ascends gently on a wide dirt track with the paved garden road visible downhill to the right.  With a final curve to the right, the trail crosses the paved road and heads uphill to the main (upper) parking lot.  To reach your parking lot, head to the right and take one of the concrete trails that head downhill from the far end of the upper lot.  These concrete trails wind downhill through the shade garden and arrive at the Visitor’s Center and the lower parking lot to complete the hike.