About PATH’s next event:
What: An intown Atlanta triathlon, called TriPATHlon 2014. The 400-yard pool swim, 15-mile bike ride and 5K run is limited to 550 participants.
When: 7:30 a.m., April 5
Where: Chastain Park Pool, 235 West Wieuca Road, NW, Atlanta 30342
Individual entry fee: $80 for USAT members; $92 for non-USAT members; $130 for relay entry fee.
To register: http://gamultisports.com/chastainparktripathlon/
Get the PATH Trails app: You can download the app for Android and iOS platforms in the app store by searching for PATH Foundation.
Whether you prefer bicycling, skating, or strolling, you’re probably looking for someplace to do it now that ice storms and polar vortexes are fading into memory.
Spring ushers in a season of recreation, which can now be aided with mobile technology. Created by the PATH Foundation, a new free app provides outdoor explorers with GPS directions and useful information about its 180-mile network of pathways throughout Atlanta.
Users can scan photos of the trails and also get up-to-speed on local weather forecasts and news.
PATH has been building a system of scenic greenways in metro Atlanta for 22 years, used by nontraditional commuters as well as recreationists. The group’s aim is to build a system of linear parks that link the entire city.
Enticing urban- and suburban-dwellers to reconnect with nature is what PATH is all about, said Alex Taylor, executive vice president of Cox Enterprises, who helped develop the app.
“They can access a bird’s-eye view of the trails and say, ‘Aha, that one’s near me, maybe I’ll try it this weekend,’” Taylor said. “The more visibility you give the entire network, the more people will use it.”
Taylor said he frequents the trail system to bicycle for exercise or to take his infant son Winston for walks away from the danger of passing cars. He uses the app to locate the nearest parking lots, which are not always easy to spot when driving to the trails.
Atlantans have PATH to thank for the Silver Comet Trail, Stone Mountain Trail and Beltline Trail, which are among its most recognized accomplishments.
But if you’re looking for something different, there are other options, too.
Like Lionel Hampton Trail, a 15-mile trek through southeast Atlanta that meanders along an abandoned road bed on property once owned by the band leader.
Or Whetstone Creek Trail, a 9.7-mile pathway which hugs an old rail spur through a floodplain of Whetstone Creek. Nature-lovers can cross a treetop boardwalk for glimpses of local wildlife.
Other destinations are merely a click, tap or swipe away.
The app for Android and iOS platforms can be downloaded in the app store by searching for PATH Foundation. So far, the app has been downloaded about 2,000 times, according to Ray Marcano, project manager for the app.
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