I’ve often wondered this, so some friends and I set out this past Sunday to see if we could bike the entire Atlanta BeltLine. From reading posts online and perusing beltline.org it sounded like it’d be quite the adventure so I opted for my mountain bike knowing that the majority of the ride would not be as smooth as a little part of the BeltLine that some of y’all may have heard about: the Eastside trail. I had ridden to Sweetwater Brewery once along the BeltLine so we decided to travel clockwise. I encourage folks to check out the BeltLine beyond the Eastside trail North of Monroe Drive toward Sweetwater Brewery because it’s cleared of vegetation. A mountain bike would be ideal for the loose sand, train ties, & railroad rocks. The trail is clear until the very end when one (definitely not me, as it would have been trespassing) has to cross 3 sets of live tracks, navigate down a small gully through some brush to get to Ottley Drive.
Riding North underneath Lucile Ave. SW.
Back to Sunday’s adventure; we gathered at the south end of the Eastside trail and embarked on our adventure crossing Irwin St. We were able to make it to DeKalb Ave. although we had to navigate over a good sized dirt pile underneath where the Edgewood Bridge once existed. Once there, we pedaled East on DeKalb Ave., South through the Krog Tunnel, East on Wylie St. and back onto the BeltLine beside Stein Steel. After crossing Memorial Dr. and further South on Bill Kennedy Way we started upon completely new territory, for me. The terrain was decent with minimal overgrowth and brush but the sand posed a challenge in especially the deeper drier sections. It was fairly decent pedaling with some getting off to cross over rails, as we crossed over Ormewood Ave., across Boulevard SE, over Hill St., and finally beside (just South of) Daniel Stanton Park. The splash pad of Stanton Park beckoned us as the trees had become sparse and as the sun gleamed upon us, but we pressed on.
As we rode across Milton Ave. there were train horns in the background so I cautioned everyone to be alert – I couldn’t shake the images in my mind of Stand By Me. As we rode underneath McDonough Blvd. and University Ave. we quickly determined that the horns were resonating from a train traveling above us -- still quite a sight and sound to behold but nothing that warranted sprinting across a single rail bridge and leaping for our dear and precious lives. Underneath this same intersection is where we encountered our first aquatic obstacle in the form of whatever body of water forms underneath car and train passages. Walking on the rail as we pushed our bikes through the murk enabled us to safely navigate our first challenge.
As we rode across Milton Ave. there were train horns in the background so I cautioned everyone to be alert – I couldn’t shake the images in my mind of Stand By Me. As we rode underneath McDonough Blvd. and University Ave. we quickly determined that the horns were resonating from a train traveling above us -- still quite a sight and sound to behold but nothing that warranted sprinting across a single rail bridge and leaping for our dear and precious lives. Underneath this same intersection is where we encountered our first aquatic obstacle in the form of whatever body of water forms underneath car and train passages. Walking on the rail as we pushed our bikes through the murk enabled us to safely navigate our first challenge.
Underneath McDonough Blvd. & Unversity Ave. looking West to East.
Continuing West we made our way underneath i75/85 where we stopped a bit in the cool and took in what seemed like some fairly new wall art. Thankfully no one had tagged over it as it all served as great additions to the already fantastic Art on the Beltline. As we approached Allene Ave. SW we missed what seemed like the technically correct (per Google maps) portion of the BeltLine. There is a well-trodden single track path right alongside the eastside of the Sprint utility building (you’ll recognize it with its high gates, barbed wire, and security cameras) but it just ended up leading to a cul-de-sac of University Ave. So, we ended up riding North on Allene Ave. until the BeltLine re-presented itself just West of Catherine St. There’s a small sign highlighting the industries that used to surround that area. Soon past this intersection the area underneath Murphy St. and Lee St. our second aquatic obstacle presented itself but it was only about 50 yards of cautiously walking over some rocks.
Just North of Westview Dr SW, approaching Ashview Community Garden on the right.
From here it was fairly smooth sailing (until Washington Park) as the tracks had been pulled up. You may come across some kids on motocross bikes but they’re having just as much as fun as you – 2 wheels good, kind of -- we serve as our own motors. Before long we were just South of the Gordon-White Park behind Boutique Seafood Brokers along White St. where a large painting of a horizontal being decorates the West side of the building. We all enjoyed how the artist incorporated an outlet pipe as this being’s belly button. From here I believe we missed the chance to hop onto the paved Westside trail but the natural trail was still very ride-able. Before we knew it we were underneath i20/RDA (Ralph David Abernathy Freeway) and the PATH Southwest BeltLine connector presented itself. Shortly afterwards just North of Westview Drive we passed by the Ashview Community Garden, which has come a long way in the past two years. We pressed on toward Washington Park made obvious as you cross over the Lionel Hampton trail (beside Lena St.) with the giant sized Crayola Crayons. We made it just north of Washington Park’s tennis courts before the brush became more than we non-machete-yielding self-motorized cyclists could handle so we rode back East on Simpson St.
Painting on Westside of building at 1326 White St. across from the Gordon-White Park.
It’s our general belief that the remainder of the BeltLine, North/Northeast of where we peeled off, is made up mostly of live train tracks but if anyone has differing news, please share it with us. Or better yet, throw us an e-correspondence and show us in person as I am always hip for further urban exploration. Suffice to say, the Eastside trail has well illustrated the true potential of the BeltLine and I can’t wait to see what else lies ahead.
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