Advertisement

Rocky Face Ridge Park nearing completion, already open to the public

Sep. 27—Whitfield County Parks and Recreation Department Director Brian Chastain said the county is waiting on the delivery of a pavilion and restrooms before it can have an official opening for Rocky Face Ridge Park.

The park had a soft opening this spring and has been regularly used by mountain bike riders and hikers. It hosted a high school cross country meet three weeks ago. County officials said they want to have a few final amenities installed before officially opening the park.

The entrance to the 1,000-acre park is on Crow Valley Road.

About 10 miles of a mountain bike trail circle the ridge, and bikers are out there almost every day riding. Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) representatives helped design the mountain bike trail and provided $75,000 for its construction. The county received a $200,000 grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to build the trail.

Numerous Civil War trenches and fortifications dot the sides of the ridge, and the former Grant Farm, where the parking lot and trailheads are located, was the site of two Civil War skirmishes.

Part of a 5K hiking trail that loops around the park and will go to the top of the ridge has been built, but the county is waiting on its partners with the Civil War Trust and the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust to approve the final design.