Clinton Nature Preserve

Just rode here today.  Decent trail system that has an old logging trail(Yellow trail)that circumvents the park.  This would be a good trail to get a long gravel type or beginner ride.  The single track breaks off from the yellow trail.  This is where things get more technical. Lot of the single track looks like it gets a lot of wear from rain drainage.  Signage is not too great and I ran into an impassable tree on Squirrel trace.  I ended up riding Helter skelter to the Wall; then doubled back on the Wall trail and Helter skelter.  I only rode 4 miles but as people say there is some tough riding.  Decent trails but there is stuff that is more fun nearby.  Kind of similar to Dauset Nature center or Yellow River.

This is an interesting set of trails. I really like the variety here, and if you like nature this place is pretty sweet. I've recently gotten interested in wildflowers/plants and this place had many I haven't seen before. Anyway, the trails aren't world class, but they are fun and varied, with lots of granite, roots, and rocks, and driving an hour and a half to get here was worth it (being from Columbus, that is). I will say the layout/navigation is very confusing here with cut-throughs and signs in some places but not others, though it's hard to get truly lost, especially with a cell phone handy.

This is the trail system closest to home so I ride it a lot. Clinton is a unique place and offers some great technical stuff along the way - drops, rocks, chunky roots, skinnies, etc. Some of the tougher stretches, especially in the 'off property' area, have copious amounts of obstructions and some really sketchy/demanding descents and ascents. The trails are all bi-directional and all seem to have their own flavor depending on which way you go. One of my favorites to ride in the metro area. It's a hidden gem and rarely seems busy.

As an update to my previous review, the signage issues has been addressed. Great place to skill build. I'm fortunate to live only a few miles from here and though I still seek out other trail systems to ride this is still my favorite place to ride. You want roots? We got those.....Rock gardens? Yup....drops? some are crazy....technical climbs and descents? How many you want?.....tight fast and flowy? Its there. Anything you could want, it's here. If you're feeling bold, try old Poole road going down to the old homestead...or coming back up....just try to keep your teeth in your head.

Such a fun place. I love trails with flow and thought that such a technical trail would be too cumbersome but this trail is great. I'm glad I had a dropper post so I could tighten my center of gravity through the skinny sections and there are many. It is a bit hard to navigate but I would grab a map ad the red and blue trail head and add landmarks based on the big map to which they are attached. The landmarks will help. Concrete Hill and the powerlines are so much fun. I used my full face helmet here and though I didn't crash, I can see that it would be easy to crash, and with the rocks, the full face makes you more confident. Fun technical riding with beautiful scenery.

And now, something completely different.

This is an interesting place to ride. If you live in Georgia, and want to improve your technical riding skills, this is the place to do it. There are some purely ridiculous descents and climbs, an endless sequence of rock gardens, a lot of exposed granite, and while there is a good amount of dirt to ride, there is very little actual flow. It's more like one technical puzzle, a little bit of pedaling, and then another technical puzzle.

If you own pads and a full face helmet, this is the place to wear it. I crash a lot and have no skills, so I was glad to be wearing them.

Maps and signage are good; eventually you will end up under power lines, and those make it easy to maintain positional awareness. There are signs warning about snakes, but I didn't see any.

BE ADVISED that the whole park is thick with poison ivy, and I landed smack in the middle of a patch of it following a silly, entirely avoidable and ridiculous crash.

Probably the most underrated trail system in the Greater ATL area; especially if you like enduro/technical rides. There are some flowy sections but most of Clinton's single track is known for its tight-n-winding sections filled with rock gardens, ledges, and roots of varying difficulty. The whole place has a "sandbox" feel to it; you aren't strongly directed where to go and some of the best trails sections must be sought out in the "off property" sections of the map. This area drains really well, so rain or shine, Clinton's is ridable.

Seemed like a decent system if you are in the area, though not necessarily worth traveling for. I do think that I got confused on the trail and missed a good portion. That was about two years ago, not sure if the signage situation has been upgraded since then. There was some signage but not enough to keep me straight the whole trail because i definitely did not get much more than 5-6 miles

Really nice trail system! There are maps posted throughout the trails at most cut offs so very easy to navigate. The trails are singletracks with few exposed roots or rocks, but you can get a decent flow going. Great to get in a more relaxed ride without being bored.

Great trails, could use a bit better signage though.

Lots of options here. good tough climbs, flowy sinletrack, rocky decents, bridges, creek crossings, doubletrack, historic cabins can be found in the woods. Local SORBA chapter recently added a kiosk next to the water spicket with a map box as well as trail signs and color coded chain rings on the trail that match the trail color on the map. There are also half a dozen mini-maps posted in the woods to help out with navigation. There are beginner trails here (Cricket and the wider doubletrack) but most of the trails require intermediate biking skills to really enjoy them. Trails are short, none more than a mile, so you can piece together an epic Clinton adventure or keep it to just a couple miles if you like.
Camping is available but you need to contact Douglas County parks and Rec in advance for a reservation. Running water and restrooms are available on site. Cell service is available for all carriers. Trails are open from dawn till dusk.

trail signage was put in place by local SORBA chapter December 2015. it should be much easier to navigate now.

Tried Clinton park for the 1st time today. Interesting system of 10 different short trails. Highly technical, low speed.
SORBA is currently working hard to realize a great trail experience. I saw at least 8 volunteers working on the trails today and it shows. Some very nice obstacles and improved signage as proof.
Helter Skelter, Bridge Loop and Cricket are fairly easy to intermediate. Granite Loop and Squirrel Terrace however, are more intermediate to advanced with some very rocky terrain. And the Old Pool downhill (that leads to Granite) is flat out crazy and for dare devils only.
I haven't tried the other sections yet. But overall a worthwhile trip. I recommend it.
Other positives:
- trail maps available
- easy parking
- playground and restrooms at trail head
- close to I-20
- low occupancy
Negatives:
- Powerline system in the area is a turnoff
- No river or lake view, just a few small streams
- Some sections still have some confusion or missing signs, especially around Fraggle Rock.

I've ridden this trail twice near the end of last year and there has been significant changes for the better. New trails incorporated into the old trails make for a lot of new trail configurations. New bridges and different granite trail are sweet. Trail direction is easily detected but trail signage is new and a little difficult to find. Look for the different "gear sprockets" ( creative ) to discern which trail you're on. LGreat job to all the members and volunteers from the West Georgia SORBA!

Killer technical single track that will leave you feeling like you've rode way more than you actually have.

Killer technical single track that will leave you feeling like you've rode way more than you actually have.

A HIDDEN GEM in the south!

Want to challenge yourself? --Try Old Pool Rd. Climb!

Clinton is a great place to ride a Mountain Bike. From granite out croppings, fast single track, tight turns, roots, rock drops, granite rock features to climb around on, raised trail features, rock gardens, tree squeezes, need I say more. The system is a spider web of trails that have been built over the last 15 years. The SORBA chapter has done a great job of connecting everything up and marking all the trails. Pick up a map at the kiosk by the White House and go explore the woods.

I agree with last review definitely. Trail signs are few and far between, but seem to show up just in time to keep you going. BUT, trail directions need to be clearer.... alot of alternate trails with no signage. Anyway, love the technical rock gardens and granite riding. A truly good trail system. I will definitely return for another ride.

great place to ride. it has it all in one place.