Trailhead at the right side of the parking lot at Powers Island, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Powers Island Loop Hike
Length: 1.5 miles
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Download the Powers-Island-Trail-Map (PDF)
Powers Island Loop Hike (click to enlarge)
Most of the trails in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area are well marked. Each intersection has a number, and unless vandalized, there is a directional sign baring that number along with an actual trail map. These numbers are listed on paper and electronic copies of the map as well. The numbers are also referenced in this trail review.
The hiking trails at Powers Island are located on the mainland, not the actual island. I started my hike at the far right corner of the parking lot (PI 5 on the map) and ended it at the left corner (PI 4, which isn’t easy to spot). This is a loop hike, so of course you can start at either location, but this trail report describes the hike in the counterclockwise direction.
The hike starts off on a wide gravel path with very few roots and rocks. The terrain is as flat as a pancake, and it remains that way for a quarter mile to the first intersection on the hike, PI 6.
Gravel trail at the start of the loop hike in the Powers Island section of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
The trail forks at PI 6, and this is where the easy hiking ends. Turn right to hike what amounts to an inland loop trail that heads up and over a steep hill and eventually ends at intersection PI 7. As you proceed counterclockwise along this section, you will be hiking uphill for a quarter mile, and it is a fairly steep and steady climb to the top. The overall grade hovers around 15%, which is where strenuous hiking begins. Furthermore, the inland loop is no longer a wide gravel path but a narrow trail that cuts through ivy and other thick, short ground cover. (Note that if you are not able to hike up and down the hill, just stay straight at PI 6 and continue to PI 7 just up ahead.)
Typical terrain on the uphill hike from intersection PI 6 to PI 7 on the Powers Island trails in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
At the top of the hill is a short, level reprieve, and then it is back down on a hill even steeper than the one on the way up. The average grade is 16%, but there is a 400-foot segment at the start of the descent with an average grade of 24%. The distance to the bottom is the same as to the top, a quarter mile.
Typical terrain on the downhill hike from intersection PI 6 to PI 7 on the Powers Island trails in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
At the bottom of the hill is intersection PI 7. Take a right towards PS 8 (a stone’s throw away) and then continue to PS 9 at the park boundary to the north. The total distance out and back is just .3 mile, and the terrain is once again flat as a pancake. The only difference between this segment and the one at the start of the hike is that the trail between PI 7 and PI 9 is a traditional, narrow hiking path. However, the highlight of the hike is on this stretch of the trail.
Intersection PI 8 on the Powers Island trails in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
What’s so cool? A small river cane forest at the end of the trail just before PS 9. River cane is a type of bamboo, and since there aren’t many bamboo forests in Georgia, it’s worth the few minutes walk to see it.
River Cane forest growing along the Chattahoochee River in the Powers Island section of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
River Cane growing along the Chattahoochee River in the Powers Island section of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
There is also a stone wall along the trail. In most cases, such a wall was built to support a pathway to and from something of importance. At the Sope Creek section of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, there is such a wall that supports a path to the ruins of the Marietta Paper Company mill. At first glance, the purpose of the wall at Powers Island appears to be lost to history, but if you look up the hill, further into the woods, there is a larger stone wall (may not be possible to see in the summer due to vegetation). This could be the ruins of an old mill or other factory, but I cannot find any mention of it in park literature or on the Internet. Unfortunately, during the summer the land between the larger wall and the trail is filled with thick brush and possibly poison ivy, making it impossible to reach it without a lot of effort. For now, the structures remain a mystery.
Man-made retaining wall near the PI 9 intersection on the Powers Island trails in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
The trail actually peters out at some dense vegetation before reaching the PS 9 sign. I did the hike ten years prior, and I got all the way to the sign where there are some great views of the Chattahoochee River. That’s no longer possible—at least during the summer—unless you want to Lewis and Clark It™ another hundred feet or so. If you do get to the end, there is a sign that clearly states that going any farther is trespassing on private property.
Powers Island trail to intersection PS 9 ends prematurely at dense summer vegetation, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
End of the trail at intersection PI 9 in the Powers Island section of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Turn around and head back to PS 8. The trail forks, so stay to the right to walk back along the river. A left puts you on the same path you started out on. The trail back is narrow, but the terrain remains flat and easy to hike.
Fork at intersection PS 8 on the return hike to the parking lot at Powers Island, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
The trail back to the parking lot is very narrow, and on my recent trip, overgrown in areas. This is typically a sign that not many people hike the trails at Powers Island, which doesn’t surprise me since most people come here to start a rafting trip down the Chattahoochee River.
Narrow and slightly overgrown section of the Powers Island trails from PS 8 back to the parking lot, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
About the only thing of note on the return trip is a nice view of the channel between the mainland and Powers Island—you cannot see the main channel of the Chattahoochee River from here. To see the main channel, you must hike over a bridge to the island and the cut across to the other side where there is a canoe launch. The bridge is located near the parking lot.
View from the hiking trail of the channel between the mainland and Powers Island, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
It is a .3-mile walk back to the parking lot from PI 8. The trail comes out at the left corner of the lot.
Hike through the Powers Island section of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area ends at the left side of the parking lot at post PI 4
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Last updated on July 18, 2026
