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Level: Intermediate
Length: 8 mi (12.9 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Network
Elevation: +505/ -579 ft
Total: 384 riders
Mountain Biking Georgia International Horse Park
#13 of 402 mountain bike trails in Georgia
The GHIP mountain bike trail was built for the 1996 Olympics. The trail was built to race not for sustainability so in the past 14 years there has been a lot of wash out. However SORBA Atlanta has been hard at work. They have been doing reroutes around badly worn areas and have more planned in the near future. The trail is a great technical trail with fast, fun downhills, some gut busting uphills, a few rock gardens and a new ladder bridge over a fallen tree. There are two sides to the trail: the dirt side and the granite side. The trail does cross horse paths so keep an eye out for them. SORBA also has some beginners trails in the works. It is a great place to ride with great scenery and nothing but the sounds of nature, once you get back into the trails.
First added by rande11699 on Jan 1, 2003. Last updated May 11, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: unknown
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
From I-20, take Exit 82 "Georgia International Horse Park." Go North on 20 (or East on 138) for approximately 5 miles. There will be signs to turn right for the Horse Park. Large gravel parking area on the right. Pay $5 at the trailhead kiosk.
System trails (2)
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Great trail and well maintained; thanks to the volunteers. I live less than an hour away and just rode this trail recently. I understand that for many years after the Olympics the trail was in poor shape, but no longer. No washed out areas, nice bridges and well marked.
I rode the Steeplechase Side and had a blast. Seemed to flow very well and very smoothly. Was really cool to ride by the ESPN news camera deck from 1996.
The granite side is supposedly tougher. I didn't ride that side but will next time. One of the reroutes from the original Olympic course was a drop next to the golf course. There was a drop in which racers landed on a small tilted rock ledge then on to the ground. I want to find that spot.
Thank |The "Bridge Out" section on the equestrian side (south) has been rerouted with a new bridge. All is good and flowing fast.
Thank |Me, my 18 and 16 year old sons went for the first time this week. It was awesome! Several challenging uphills with fast flowing downhills. Not too technical that it should intimidate even novice riders to give it a run. The trail loops back at around the 6 mile mark, giving you the option to head back to the parking lot and skip the last 4 miles if you're spent. There was a bridge out towards the front of the trail that went over a deep cut with a small creek. There are ways around it, but didn't see any detour signs. You will have to look for the way around it or portage your bike down across and back up the other side, you will get wet and muddy.
Thank |The horse park is a great workout, add in a little mtb history and it's a special ride. The steeplechase side is fast with a number of brief plunging descents and some great mid GA flow. Once you cross the street to the granite side the fun pretty much ends and the real work begins. The 3 or so miles on that side of the park are some of the toughest to be found in the metro area. There's three climbs on the course that will stick with you. The wooded climb and gas line climb on the steeplechase side, demanding but manageable, and the real punisher, Olympic Hill, on the granite side. Not a ton of mileage, but a great place for laps, bonus points for bikes only and single direction.
Thank |An overall fun ride. Not terribly technical in any spot. I ride a fully rigid bike with 27.5-plus tires and was fine but would have liked some suspension or a dropper to spare me of some of the rocks/roots/ball busters. Plenty of short, steep climbs to work the heart and lungs.
Trails are well marked but a bit confusing to follow as they intersect (or maybe I'm just easily confused). But there are maps here and there. Some parts were washed out from rain when I rode it. Entering the trail, I came upon three folks on horseback and one of the horses got spooked. So, be mindful of others. Plenty of free parking. A few other riders were there but I never saw them on the trail. So, you'll be at your own pace even when other folks are around.
I'll definitely be back.
Thank |Fun trail. A couple of climbs will get your heart racing
Thank |One of my favorite in the Atlanta area. Riding on a piece of history. This is where the Olympic race was held in 1996. Good diversity of features and terrain. Everything from loose dirt to granite rock is available on this trail.
Thank |This is a great trail system for what it is. I only found 2 loops (some people mention 3) and I love the dirt portion. It is very fast and flowy without many difficult climbs. This trail is one directions only so I could see it getting boring compared to other true trail systems. The granite side to me was not worth the effort and I got lost quite a few times (even with my MTB Project GPS on). Definitely worth riding if you're in the area.
Thank |Great trail. I'd consider it a must ride, especially because it was the first Olympic mountain bike trail. A little more technical than some of the surrounding trails. The Steeplechase Side is faster and the Granite Side is significantly more technical. The trail has some good climbs, fun quick decent, and a decent number of challenging sections.
Thank |This trail is always fun with it's quick little down and ups that allow you to get going pretty fast. There are some opportunities for a bit of air as well (rollers and erosion on the backside of roots). It can be quite bumpy though so a cushy bike is nice to have, but not required. I definitely recommend checking it out.
Thank |This trail is quite bumpy, but very unique and a lot of fun. It feels kind of old school in a good way. Probably best suited for a fully suspended bike.
Thank |Nice technical trail. Keeps you on your toes. Not long enough.
Thank |I think this is one of the better trails in the area. Has a mix of everything. Be prepared to scare off some of the wildlife with you speed. I got to a max speed of about 23mph. Not to challenging but worth the ride. I came from three hours away to make it happen. The trail is well maintained. They had just resurfaced but a half a mile of the trail. Make sure you make a donation to help the upkeep of the trail.
Thank |Tell you the truth people aren't screaming about this place and I went just to check it off the list and was blown away. This is great single track with natural obstacles that have you challenged through out the trails. Two trails, steeple chase side is under 7 miles and has a couple of down hills that scream. Good wood bridges, signs are fine, and great drop offs in the turns from natural features. The granite side is crazy hard with a couple of hills that are nasty. You can tell this was built before taking into account full use of terrain, so the trails go up and down the mountain on this side.
Thank |First time on trail, lived nearby since trail was made for the Olympics imagine that. Lots of bridges well laid out but beware the climbs are at the end of the loop 3 steep ones and watch out for the kung fu tree crossing.
Thank |I have been riding this trail since it first opened after the '96 Olympics and it just keeps getting better. The trail crew out there have changed it so much that probably only 30-40% of the original Olympic trail is still used, but the changes they have made make the course far better with much more flow, at least on the parking lot side (which i ride most of the time). The 6ish mile loop on that side is pretty fun but will also give you a good workout if you hit it hard, so you can choose your fun or pain. I find the parking lot side more fun than the granite side
Thank |Much improved since last ride 3 years ago. Better flow, some steep climbs eliminated by gradual switchbacks (but not all for you advanced intermediates) not as many washed out sections. 8-10 wooden bridges help to keep your speed up by ramping you over dry washes. Overall a fun experience, will ride again whenever I'm in the area.
Thank |Great trail to punish yourself on. The granite sections are very unique, they're worth checking out. Also, if you have the time, take a detour down to the canoe launch around 2/3 through the loop. There's a huge marsh/lake back there with a dock and it's beautiful. I've seen fish, turtles, frogs, hawks, and osprey out there. It's a nice place to catch your breath before you head up Olympic Hill.
Thank |Rode what's left of the Advanced side today. Because of the Solar Farm that Rockdale County had installed there is a significant chunk of the trail missing after the steep granite climb now but if you know the trail you can find your way....you will have to hop over some silt fencing, though. I hope there is a plan to piece together the portions of the original trail so there is a flow to it again. It's a shame they couldn't put the solar farm somewhere else.
Thank |Parking lot loop in good shape, grants side is still closed. They have done some recent maintenance and changed a few of the corners on the lower loop.
Thank |