Victoria Bryant State Park: Broad River Loop (Blog Hike #213)

Trail: Broad River and Beaver Overlook Loop Trails

Hike Location: Victoria Bryant State Park

Geographic Location: west of Royston, GA (34.29884, -83.15968)

Length: 5.3 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: May 2007, October 2013, March 2023

Overview: A moderate hike alternating between upland and streamside forest.

Park Information: https://gastateparks.org/VictoriaBryant

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=941381

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the town of Royston in northeast Georgia, take US 29 south 3 miles to SR 327.  Turn right to head north on SR 327.  You will reach the state park entrance in 1 mile; turn left to enter the park.  Park in the very first parking lot on the left, which is reached right before reaching the fee station.  If this lot fills up, an alternate starting point is at the picnic area on the left just after passing the fee station.

The hike: For my general comments on Victoria Bryant State Park, see my Perimeter Trail blog entry.  The two trails described here take you through a newly opened section of the park adjacent to the golf course.  While the trail is wide and never steep, lots of up and down make this trail good conditioning and preparation for more difficult mountain trails to the north.

Trailhead near pond

            To reach the trailhead for the Broad River Loop Trail, you will need to hike a 0.75 mile section of the burnt orange blazed Perimeter Trail.  The Perimeter Trail begins as a paved path along the east side of the Handicapped Fish Pond.  After 200 feet, the pavement runs out and the trail curves sharply left to cross the feeder stream for the pond on a beautiful wooden bridge.  Across the bridge, the wide dirt trail begins climbing.

            After a brief moderate climb, the trail comes out at an open area with the campground visible downhill to the left and the golf course uphill to the right.  You will cross a golf course cart path twice as the trail makes an S-curve; follow the burnt orange blazes to ensure you do not lose the trail.

Perimeter Trail near the golf course

            At 0.5 miles, the yellow blazed inner loop of the Perimeter Trail exits downhill to the left.  Our trail angles to the right and begins a gradual climb through young forest with the golf course visible on your right.  At 0.75 miles, you reach the beginning of the Broad River Trail.  Turn right to begin the purple-blazed Broad River Trail.

Turning onto the Broad River Trail

            The trail climbs for a short distance to cross a paved county road before beginning the descent toward the Broad River on the other side.  The hillside is steep, but a pair of switchbacks ensure that the grade is never more than moderate.  Along this stretch of trail the golf course is uphill to the right and out of view.

            1.35 miles into the hike, the trail reaches the first of two creek floodplains and the Beaver Overlook Loop exits to the left.  The Beaver Overlook Trail is the newest trail in the park and can be used to short-cut a section of the Broad River Trail.  Save this trail for the return route and continue to follow the purple blazed Broad River Trail.

            The Broad River Trail makes a wide curve through the floodplain forest and uses a nice wooden bridge to cross the creek.  As the trail begins ascending out of the floodplain, the Beaver Overlook Loop reenters from the left.  If you so desired, you could shorten this hike to only 3.3 miles by turning left here and hiking only the Beaver Overlook Loop.  This description will angle right and continue to follow the Broad River Trail for its larger semi-loop.

Creek near Beaver Overlook Loop

            The trail continues to climb away from the creek and soon begins to follow a powerline clearing.  At 1.8 miles, you will come to a restroom and soft drink vending machine located next to the 14^th tee on the golf course.  This is the only example I know of where a hiking trail shares facilities with a golf course.

            Past the restrooms, the trail drops gradually, curves right to leave the powerline clearing, and, 2 miles from the start, forks to create the loop portion of the Broad River Loop Trail.  The hiking is slightly easier if you hike the loop counterclockwise, using the left fork as the outbound trail and the right fork as the return portion.  The left trail drops sharply, but only for a short distance, to arrive at the bank of the Broad River.  A bench overlooks the tranquil, muddy river.  Take a few minutes to observe the river and its surroundings, as this is the best view of the river along this trail.

Broad River

            The trail leaves the river bank and climbs gradually along the bottom of a steep sided ravine.  The grade increases as the trail switchbacks to the left, climbing out of the ravine.  Through the forest to the right you can see the return portion of the trail, but do not succumb to the temptation of taking a shortcut.  At 2.4 miles, the trail seems to be heading back toward the river, but in fact it remains along a bluff some 50 feet above the bench you passed earlier.

            From the point of the bluff, the trail takes a sharp right turn into young forest as the river bluff is left behind.  The last 0.5 mile of the loop features rolling terrain with the golf course visible to the left and the ravine you traveled in earlier dropping steeply to the right.  3 miles from the start, you will close the loop.  Turn left to begin retracing your steps.

Beaver Overlook

            While you could simply retrace your steps along the Broad River Trail for its entire distance, a couple of options make the return route more interesting.  For starters, try the white blazed Beaver Overlook Loop Trail when it exits right at a sharp angle.  This trail leads downhill to a wooden overlook of a boggy area formed by a wide spot in the creek you crossed earlier.  Continuing along this trail will lead you across the creek on another wooden footbridge and return you to the Broad River Trail, actually saving you a few hundred yards versus the Broad River Trail itself.  Lastly, consider hiking either the remaining Outer Loop or the Inner Loop of the Perimeter Trail, either of which give you nice views of some cascades in Rice Creek.  These options provide more scenic ways to return to your car and complete the hike.