The late November or early December holiday season finds us visiting my daughter, son-in-law, and not quite ready to be born grandson in Atlanta. I eagerly anticipate some runs in and around my daughter's home, even though I am still a good twenty pounds to the bad of where I would like to be and fearful of the steep never-ending hills that Atlanta running is known. I did not think I would get the chance to do any trail running since I have no access to a car, but I was surprised to hear that my daughter wanted to go for a walk in a nearby park. I might be able to get a run in.
We drove to Mason Mill Park in (or at least near) the Toco Hills section of Atlanta. Mason Mill Park serves as a midpoint for all three spurs of this trail. One spur takes you to Medlock Park, one to Emory University Clairmont, and another to the intersection of North Druid Hills & Spring Creek Roads. I chose to take the ladder, mainly on the advice from my son-in-law concerning elevation or the relative lack thereof. After a brief warmup around Mason Mill Park, running to the rhythm of pinging pickleball racquets, I'm off and running.
After a brief start on asphalt, the footing changes to a raised boardwalk. The surface was not slippery, and there was a noticeable decline in elevation. Knowing that I would have to navigate the incline on the way back, I slowed down and calculated how to end my run at the planned distance without facing this "hill."
The asphalt "resurfaces" at about the .3 mile mark. From there on, there are no problematic hills to encounter. There is a slight incline, but nothing to cause any concern. At about the .8 mile mark, you will be at the intersection and trailhead. Now for the fun part.
I saw a runner on the other side of the road pushing a baby carriage. He did not cross the road but instead turned onto the side road and kept going. The runner's route gave me the impression that the trail continued on this side road and further continued after that—a big mistake. I crossed the street only to find that the road split into two dead ends. I chose the left to turn around, only to be met by a 15% grade hill. Turning around in the cul de sac saw not only the apparent uptick in my heart rate but nowhere near the mileage I wanted to head back at, so I took a left on the busy road and put in about a half mile total. I turned around at a condo development with a walking path in the rear of the complex. The track looked highly similar to the trail, at least from the standpoint of the benches and markings. I thought about rambling down the hill and trying to see if it somehow connected to the trail, but I thought better of it and turned back. I could not find any documentation concerning the path in the back of the condos, so I thought it was just an amenity to the complex.
I knew what to expect on the run back, which made the run smoother and gave me the confidence to reach the goal mileage. The trail picked up in terms of usage; it was also noteworthy that folks of all ages were using it. Most were walkers and dog walkers, but there were a couple of other runners. I nailed my 3.5km goal, just where I intended, and had a tremendous cool-down walk back to the park.
Upon further research, the spurs to Medlock Park and Emory University are similar to the spur I ran on. There is a significate amount of mileage on a raised boardwalk, the length and incline are similar, and they both go through a swampy area in an urban setting. It was challenging with the hills, but not so much that you could not make the entire trail in one run. You could also add mileage at either park that the course goes through. There are mileage and elevation markers, but they are sporadic and follow no discernible pattern. The trail was very clean and well-maintained. Give this trail a try.
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