Sope Creek

I used to occasionally ride Sope Creek back in the early 2000's when I got into mt biking. Finally got back there today and I am impressed. At the time(early 2000's)the place was IMO a total mess. I swore it off at one point and just rode Blankets, Chicopee, and Yellow River. What is the entrance now you went straight uphill on a extremely hard climb on a washed out clay section that was badly eroded. That section was completely blocked off where you go either right or left depending on the day. The entire trail used to be 2 way. The connector where the 2 trails meet was a gnarly downhill and people would go way too fast and I had a few close calls because of people riding out of control. Anyhow, the first loop on Sunday flows nicely at first. Then there are some tough climbs until you reach the connector loop. The 2nd loop started with some decent climbs. The back half of the 2nd and 1st loop are some really fun downhills and a few technical sections(not overly). Also a really fun part for me is the 1 plus mile ride on the gravel section from and to the Interstate North parking. It's a good warm-up and also cool off. If you get really hot you can just jump in the Hooch. Parking is pretty tough on weekends and nights but you can park alongside the road on interstate north. I had heard they redesigned this trail and I should have gotten back here way sooner since I got back into mt biking in 2016. Another great project by MTB Atlanta.

This trail offers everything, hard climbs, obstacles, rock gardens, flow track and sketchy downhills in a close in Metro Atlanta trail. Riding from and back to the River Park parking lot gives you about a mile warm-up and cool down from the actual trail which connects to it for a total of about 9mi if you do the full figure eight of Sope and Cochran Shoals trails. The direction changes ever other day and offers a totally different ride but moderately challenging in both directions. Primary downside is you will typically encounter walkers, dog walkers and trail runners as it's a popular trail but not so much that it ruins the flow. My go to trail for a great close in workout to keep my skills in tact.

This was my mtb Gym during college. close to home, a variety of laps and some tough punchy climbs.

For convenience, I can't beat Sope Creek - it's close to home, and it's a very quick way to get a tough workout. But it's not an easy trail - there's a lot of climbing, and some fairly challenging sections as well. All of the work done during last fall to fix up some of the badly eroded spots helped, but with all the rain that we got during the first couple months of 2020, I think some of that work has been undone.
Parking can be a challenge on nice weekend days and does cost $5 (or $40 annually, either of which are now fees that are paid online), and the trails do get busy - but I've never had trouble with getting past other riders or hikers.

Trail is awesome, but the people suck. I've never heard so much music on a trail before. For whatever reason, many of the bikers here love to blast their music on the back of their packs and think that all of us enjoy listening to them. Additionally, many of the folks here don't understand how to pass and will just ride your a$$ until you notice them. No notice or a "hey, can I pass" or even a "Rider up." Honestly, the bikers here are rude and give mountain bikers a bad name. I love the trail, but the clientele are generally disrespectful.

Trail has some great sections, especially for being in such a metro area. There are some rocky sections that should be worked on, especially on some of the harder uphills.

This used to be my favorite trail in GA but heavy erosion took its toll. They are trying to keep the trail rideable by adding briks and cobblestones to cover some of the most eroded areas but it took away a lot of the fun flows.
Besides that: there is a 10 mph speed limit (!) and the multitude of pedestrians have right of way.
It's a trail that is great for a workout with lots of steep uphills, but real MTB fans better go 20 Miles north.

I rode on a Tuesday and it was a great workout with a lot of climbing. Looking forward to trying the opposite direction. It offers a little bit of everything

My favorite trail in the metro Atlanta area. Flowy sections, technical sections, flat sections; this trail really has something for everyone. It can be ridden many different ways depending on which day you go as well as where you start. My personal favorite route is the MWFS loop starting at the entrance near the gravel loop of the Cochran Shoals Unit. You get much of the difficult, extended climbing out of the way early and the way back pays off with some very fun descents.

Fun, challenging loops that don't get old when repeated. Thoroughly intermediate trails but they can be tackled by cautious beginners.

Just wanted to add that the parking is now $5 a day instead of $3, and $40 for an annual pass. Also, in the "main" review, it states that the back loop is flat, which is not the case. There is a decent climb in either direction, and to get back to Cochran Shoals, there is a pretty good climb on the bi-directional as well.

Also, watch out for hikers, as there are a lot, mainly on the weekends.

Great trail system. Well maintained

Living in the city of Atlanta, with limited time between crazy job, family, kids soccer, etc., I can get to this place from home (Cochran Shoals entrance) in about 15-20 minutes. I love this trail. It has a little bit of everything, and it's a great workout. I do triathlons, but it's scary riding the roads in ATL, so I find this to be a great place to get a good workout, especially on the days where the trail is more uphill. For a harder weekend ride, go on a Friday or Sunday. For a little more downhill, go on a Saturday (there are directional signs). There are runners and hikers, but they are good at moving out of the way. You can do the lower, Cochran Shoals portion and be done in an hour. For a longer ride, do the full upper and lower section. This is an intermediate trail, so be prepared for a good workout with good climbs, sharp switchbacks, wide and narrow singletrack, a little bit of rock gardens, and some gnarly adventure.

Really fun trail. A couple of steep climbs and a couple of fun down hill sections. The trail is maintained very well. The flow is great. It is really a fun trail to ride for a quick loop after work. It is wide single track. The only down fall is there are a ton of hikers and joggers. I have nothing against them, it just makes for a busy trail system.

First time to ride here. I missed the turnoff for the second loop, so ended up doing the first loop twice. It helps to come out with someone who has been here before. It was a fun ride nonetheless.

The trails are pretty fun, but be prepared to encounter lots of other trail users. If you're looking to hammer out the miles, this is NOT the place to do it.

Fun little trail system close to Atlanta. Wide open and mostly smooth with a few little technical spots here and there. Decent elevation with a couple nice climbs/decents depending on which direction you're riding. Rode there on Tuesday afternoon and the trail was fairly crowded with bikes and hikers so probably gets pretty busy on weekends.

Ride here regularly as a member of the Sope Creek Composite Team that races in the Georgia Interscholastic League and absolutely love the trails, has a bit of everything and an all around fantastic trail.

Best MTB trail system in metro Atlanta area and great natural outdoors environment. Good flow, decent speed (some downhills make you go over 30Mph!) and some steep uphill climbing.
Area by the falls / rapids is very nice.
Recently maintained and great shape!

Well maintained trail with some challenging uphills.