Silver Comet-Biking/Hiking Trail: nirvana for two wheels
Published: Jun 3, 2009
For bicyclists, the Silver Comet is paved heaven — a smooth, flat trail, with no car traffic, shaded by trees that offer cool breezes on sultry days, and with plenty of places to stop and get wateror use the restroom. Walkers, hikers and horseback riders also enjoy the trail, but it's bicyclists who drive from miles away to use the trail.
Because the trail is part of the Rails-to-Trails project, converting an abandoned railroad right of way to a multi-use trail, the grade on the trail is almost entirely flat or gently sloping. The trail gets its name from the Silver Comet rail service, which connected many cities via train on the Seaboard Air Lines. Motorized vehicles, except for security patrols, are prohibited.
The 61.5-mile section of Georgia trail also links to Alabama's Chief Ladiga trail, and together, the trail system forms the longest paved rail-trail in America. A cyclist can start at the beginning of the Silver Comet Trail in Smyrna, Ga., and ride 97 miles to Anniston, Ala., on a single trail.
For driving directions to various spots along the trail, check out the Trail Express site. The nonprofit PATH Foundation, the driving force behind the trail's development, also offers loads of information on the trail, including locations of bathrooms, water sources, camping, restaurants and special events.
The Smyrna section of the trail, which starts near Nickajack Elementary, tends to be crowded with walkers and runners, especially on weekends. Cyclists with Lance Armstrong fixations should either ride that section very slowly or start their ride in another trail section.
Don't have a bicycle? You can rent one near the start of the trail at Smyrna Bicycles or A Trail of Wheels Bicycles. The Silver Comet Depot in Mableton rents a variety of bicycles, including tandems, as well as skates.
For $10, you can even borrow a bicycle from the public library in Rockmart, about halfway on the Georgia trail. Sponsored by Dasani, you fill out a card at the library and then you can access special lockers with bicycles. The bikes are available dawn to dusk, on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the program, contact the Rockmart Library at (770) 684-3022.
Just off the trail in Rockmart is Frankie's Italian Restaurant, a mecca for cyclists who have signed their names and added their photos to the walls. Frankie's offers pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches.
- by Diane Loupe, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro
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