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Eastside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline

Atlanta, Georgia

4.7/5
based on 6 reviews

Details

Distance

1.93 miles

Elevation Gain

164 ft

Route Type

Point-to-Point

Description

Added by Matthew Koehnemann

The Eastside Trail is a 2-mile section of the Atlanta Beltline, a 22-mile rails-to-trails project planned to eventually circle the entire city of Atlanta; connecting neighborhoods, parks, and people, thus allowing pedestrians to get from one side of the city to the other under their own power.........and because, sometimes you just need an adventure close to the city!

To visit the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline, park in the paid public parking (different pricing Monday-Thursday & Friday-Sunday) at the far southeast corner of Piedmont Park, behind the Park Tavern restaurant and brewery. From there, walk to the intersection of Monroe Dr. and 10th St. and cross Monroe Dr. at the crosswalk located at the intersection. This will put you right in front of the access point to the paved Eastside Trail. This trail is perfect for running, walking, or biking.

For 2.25 miles, the Eastside Trail acts as a seam, stitching together 5 trending neighborhoods (Midtown, Virginia-Highlands, Poncey-Highlands, Old Forth Ward, and Inman Park) with stunning views of downtown, unique local eateries, west-coast style markets, local displays of art and several public green spaces to get some grass under your feet.

Some of the high points of the trail include: 

  • Piedmont Park - A sprawling 189-acre park just east of Midtown Atlanta.
  • Ponce City Market - A mixed-use development located in a beautiful (and massive) brick building that used to be a distribution center for the Sears and Roebuck Co in the early to mid-20th century. PCM is not finished in its entirety, but already within it are coffee shops, national and local retail shops, a food hall, and boutiques. 
  • Old Forth Ward Park 
  • Rotating Local Art Displays 
  • The Neighborhood of Inman Park - An entire Victorian neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places, with its own thriving strip of local downtown entertainment.

The Eastside Trail portion of the Beltline “ends” at Irwin St., located in the neighborhood of Inman Park. From here, a turn to the left will take you down to Krog Street Market, a west coast-style market, which is an ideal location to refuel yourself with a bite and a beer. Hop City, within Krog Street Market, sells craft beer and wine, as well as keeping a healthy number of styles of beer on over 20 rotating taps to be purchased and enjoyed while walking around the rest of the market space. You can grab a beer that is widely distributed or, make the wiser choice, and get a beer brewed a little closer to Atlanta (Sweetwater, 3 Taverns, and Creature Comforts from Athens, GA are all excellent local brewery choices). Afterward, explore the rest of the warehouse-size market and pick from a number of dining options.

Once you’ve had your fill at Krog Street (or any of the number of dining options along the Beltline), walk back up the Eastside Trail and retrace the 2 miles back to where you started.

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Features

Fitness
Cycling
Chillin
Photography
Running
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Food Nearby
Groups
Romantic
ADA Accessible

Eastside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline Reviews

The Beltline is a fun way to see some of Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods if you like urban exploring on a popular path. It gets packed on the weekends and there are a lot of cyclists, but no bike lane. Also groups like to meander in rows that can mess with your flow on a serious run. To maximize your enjoyment, start at Victory in Inman Park, have a Jack and Coke slushee, play a round of ping pong and then hit the Beltline. Stop at the piano under the bridge, take in the skaters at the skatepark, walk into the backside of Paris on Ponce and grab a snack from 8 Arm. Walk until you hit Piedmont Park, find the pond, scope out the Botanical Gardens, or just breathe and take in the views.

Sometimes it's nice to have solitude in the woods. But there's also something exciting about sharing a day outside with a bustling city. The Beltline is a great way to do that, getting outside and being active alongside fellow walkers, runners, bikers and more. We hopped on the Beltline around Midtown and walked down to Ponce City Market, which was awesome. Would love to go back and run or bike it in the future!

Although this is not exactly your typical "immerse yourself in the wild" adventure, it really is a great way to get outside in the city. There are gardens and awesome artwork that line large sections of the Beltline. There are also some great local stores, restaurants, and bars to check out along the way. PCM and Krogg are both awesome markets too!

I was in a super short trip to ATL for work and loved being able to get outside and walk through such a great art inspired path! Super fun and felt very safe

You get to be outside, surrounded by a variety of people also outside - walking, biking, running, boarding beside you or past you. Then there's art all over the place, from structures to graffiti. Then there's Ponce City Market which has been booming and developing. It's located in a large, old warehouse made new. There are several restaurants and stores inside. Great place to stop during your trek/ride on the beltline.

Real quick, the Beltline is a MUCH awaited treat for us ATLiens. The midtown section is AMAZING and can lead you to great drinks and dining (Krog Street Market, Ponce City Market, and a whole host of standalone hits along the way) It gets SUPER crowded and you just have to be aware of your traffic around you and you're good. People are usually super happy just to not feel like they're in the city for a couple hours. :)

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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