Oconee Forest Park in Athens, GA (Blog Hike #205)

Trails: (various)

Hike Location: Oconee Forest Park

Geographic Location: on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, GA (33.92961, -83.37488)

Length: 1.7 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Dates Hiked: May 2008, November 2012, April 2013

Overview: A hike on the campus of the University of Georgia, mostly easy with one moderate section.

Park Information: https://www.warnell.uga.edu/oconee-forest-park
Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=624457
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the south side of Athens, take the Athens Perimeter Road to College Station Road (exit 7).  Exit and go north on College Station Road.  At the first traffic light north of thePerimeter Road, turn left.  A sign tells you this is the access road for University of Georgia’s intramural fields.  The road curves right, then left, then right, then left again.  This last left turn takes you past some tennis courts on the left.  Immediately past the tennis courts, turn left into a small blacktop parking lot.  Park in this lot.

The hike: Although Oconee Forest Park was not officially established until 1982, work toward using this land for recreation began in the Civilian Conservation Corps era of the 1930’s.  During the Depression, hundreds of workers earned a meager living working in the tree seedling nursery on this site.  Cabins were built on this site to house these workers, and some of these cabin sites are still visible along the trail today.  In the 1960’s, this site was identified as one of the last remaining stands of mature forest on campus, and efforts began to keep the forest that way. 

In 1973, those efforts were hindered as the Athens Perimeter Road was constructed crossing the property width-wise, leaving about one-third of the property north of the road and the remaining two-thirds to the south, disconnected from the northern piece.  Part of the southern section was later used to construct the UGA Golf Course, while the rest remained undeveloped.  Today, only the northern section, the section closest to campus, remains as a nature preserve accessible to the public. 

The centerpiece of the park is Lake Herrick, a small lake created by damming one of the streams through the park.  Though the lake covers the old CCC nursery site, it also adds to the park’s scenery and recreation opportunities.  On the south side of the lake is a system of trails through some of the old-growth forest that initially made this site appealing for a park.  The trails you walk today were designed by Dr. Walter Cook in the 1970’s when the preserve’s future was still very much in doubt.  Though many routes are possible, the route described here is my personal favorite as it takes you past all of the major sites while offering plenty of views of the lake and the old-growth forest.

Wooden boardwalk to lake

            Begin at a wooden boardwalk at the rear of the blacktop parking lot.  The boardwalk heads downhill toward the lake, and upon reaching the lake takes a sharp right turn to cross the lake on a long wooden footbridge.  This bridge is a little shaky, but it will get you across.  On the other side of the bridge, the trail reaches a T-intersection that marks the beginning of the loop portion of this hike.  This description will turn left here and use the right trail as the return route.

The trail assumes a level lakeside route with the lake on the left and mature forest on the right.  As you look across the lake, you can see the white sand park beach some 400 feet away on the far shore.  At 0.2 miles, the trail passes the first of two wooden piers.  Stay beside the lake, and in another 0.1 miles, pass the second pier.  Given the close proximity to the university, these trails are popular with students seeking rest from the rigor of academic pursuits, so you will likely not be alone.  In particular, these piers seem to be popular places for reading.

Lake Herrick

            About 100 feet past the second pier, you will reach a trail intersection.  The trail straight ahead continues around the lake, crosses the dam, and comes out near College Station Road.  This hike will turn right and begin a moderate climb away from the lake.  The trail gains 100 feet of elevation over the next 0.2 miles.  Where the trail appears to fork, take the left option, which soon arrives at a grassy clearing containing a stone fireplace.  This is one of the old CCC cabin sites.  While the cabin is gone, the fireplace remains, and black marks in the fireplace tell you that it is still used occasionally today.

Past the cabin site, another trail joins from the right as the combined trail crosses a gravel access road.  Some old signs that once contained trail information are no longer readable.  The trail pursues a level course through lush, mature upland forest before curving to the right to skirt the upper reaches of a ravine.  Some signs call this trail the Tree Trail, perhaps because small plaques identify some of the species of trees along this trail.

At 0.9 miles, the trail ends at another gravel access road.  Turn left to begin walking along this road.  At first this section of trail is a wide two-track gravel road, but soon the trail narrows to the single-track dirt trail that comprises most of this hike.  For the next 0.5 mile, the trail passes through young shrubby forest along the very southern edge of the park.  Traffic entering the Perimeter Road can be heard on the left.  Through the shrubs on the right you can see the university’s Ropes Course, accessible only by groups and only with permission of the university.

Marsh in Oconee Forest Park

            The trail reaches the southwest corner of the park and curves right, following parallel to an active railroad track on the left.  Of course, you will want to stay off of railroad track.  At 1.4 miles, the trail reaches what appears to be a clearing.  Looking downhill to the right, you can see the man-made marsh that supports a wide variety of insects and amphibians.  This trail concludes by climbing up and over a mound of dirt removed to create the marsh area and intersecting the same gravel access road you traveled on earlier.

Gravel access road

            Take a soft left on the gravel road and enter an idyllic setting with beautiful, cool, mature forest lining either side of the road.  Looking ahead, you can see a gate that separates vehicles in the parking area beyond and the park.  Just before reaching this gate, turn right on a single-track dirt trail that heads downhill.  The trail descends moderately using a pair of short switchbacks to arrive at a small stream, the stream that created the marshy area you passed earlier.  While there appears to be no way to cross the stream and reach the trail on the other side, curve left, head downstream, and you will soon find the bridge that connects our trail with that on the other side of the stream.

Trail bridge across Lake Herrick

            Turn softly to the left again and continue downstream.  Soon you reach the backwaters of Lake Herrick on the left, and a couple of picnic shelters come into view uphill to the right.  At 1.6 miles, reach the bridge across Lake Herrick that signals that you have closed the loop.  Turn left to cross the bridge, walk the boardwalk back to the parking lot, and complete the hike.