With National Park Week beginning on Saturday, it’s the perfect time to get outside and look for new national park adventures for spring and summer. For those who have already visited popular national parks such as Yosemite or who are unable to travel out of state, Georgia has plenty of under-the-radar hidden gem national parks waiting for you.
Here are four ways to find the Georgia park to suit your interests.
Take a hike
Entering the Appalachian Trail through Georgia gives you more than 79 miles of trails to explore through the scenic Appalachian Mountains. Or trek the granite landscapes of Arabia Mountain, where there is 400 million years of natural and human history to soak up at the heritage center.
Appalachian Trail Park Office, 304-535-6278.
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, 3350 Klondike Road, Lithonia, 30038, 404-998-8384.
Paddle
The Augusta Canal helped usher the Industrial Revolution into the South by harnessing the Savannah River to power mills and factories. These days you can take a kayak or canoe to explore the diverse plants and animals that settled along the waterway. In the Atlanta area, you can fish or take a raft ride through the rocky shoals of the Chattahoochee River.
Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, 1450 Greene Street, Suite 400, Augusta, 30901, 706-823-0440.
Chattahoochee River, 1978 Island Ford Parkway, Sandy Springs, 30350, 678-538-1200.
Civil Rights history
President Jimmy Carter has spent his career fighting for human and civil rights, all while maintaining his connection to home. He was born and raised in Plains, Georgia. At the National Historic site and visitor center, you can take a tour of the places that tell the story of his childhood — his high school, the Depot and boyhood farm. In Atlanta, stop by the King Center for a first-hand look at the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You can tour the museum, his home and the historic Ebenezer Baptist church.
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Jimmy Carter Center, 300 North Bond Street, Plains, 31780, 229- 824-4104.
The King Center, 450 Auburn Avenue, NE, Atlanta, 30331, 404-331-5190 x5046.
Civil War battlefields
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 2,965-acre National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. Civil War buffs love the rich history found there and it's also a popular hiking spot. Another Civil War site is Chickamauga & Chattanooga, also known as the place of "the death of the Confederacy." Chattanooga was considered the "gateway to the deep south." In 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought for control of Chattanooga, but instead were victorious at nearby Chickamauga. When fighting renewed in Chattanooga, Union forces prevailed.
Kennesaw Mountain, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr, Kennesaw, 30152, 770-427-4686.
Chickamauga & Chattanooga, 3370 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, 30742, 706-866-9241.
There are plenty more Georgia National Parks sites to explore. For more information visit www.nps.gov/ga.
