Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area | COLUMNS DRIVE FITNESS TRAIL

Fitness Trail Map (aka Cochran Shoals Trail)

Fitness Trail Map (aka Cochran Shoals Trail)


Columns Drive Hiking Trails


Length: 2 to 3 miles, depending on your starting point
Time: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Download Fitness Trail map (PDF)

Directions to Parking Areas

The popularity of the Interstate North and Columns Drive sections of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is due to the Fitness Trail. This wide, sun drenched, pea gravel loop trail is flat and smooth and thus open to all sorts of visitors. You will find joggers, walkers, bikers, and mothers pushing baby strollers. It is, however, far from the best exercise at Columns Drive, as the hiking trails are much more strenuous, but the Fitness Trail’s ease makes it popular for those wanting to get some exercise without putting in much effort. People can walk together socially, side by side, more concerned about gossip than having to worry about tripping over a root or rock. The section of the trail closest to the river offers good views, as the brush and trees are not very thick. The trail is out in the open, exposed to the sun, so those attempting to walk it during the heat of a summer day are in for a pounding. Be sure to wear a hat and apply sunscreen if avoiding the sun is important to you.

If starting the Fitness Trail from the Columns Drive parking lot, the hike is a 2-mile loop. However, from Interstate North you have to walk out on a .5-mile path (1-mile, round trip) before coming to the loop portion, and thus you have a 3-mile hike.

Jogging on the Fitness Trail in the Cochran Shoals Unit of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Jogging on the Fitness Trail in the Cochran Shoals Unit of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

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Last updated on May 8, 2024
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