Atlanta can be a very busy place. Even with good bicycle-travel infrastructure, that doesn’t mean it’s a quiet and tranquil area (a nice day on the beltline will be crowded with lots of pedestrian and bicycle traffic).
That’s why I was delighted to find this area yesterday when I was running an errand down to Atlanta Cycling for some parts. I haven’t been this far up the beltline since before covid, and yesterday I saw that a critical section of the beltline now takes you over the I-85/Buford Hwy interchange north of Piedmont Park! Historically, this has been the end of the Beltline, and really it only goes a few hundred feet further now, but this little stretch makes all the difference if you’re on a bike. Otherwise all the options for crossing the interstate include big roads and heavy car traffic.
When I made it across the freeway, I was sitting in an industrial park. No bike path, but no traffic either. Not a single car anywhere. What I found back here as I rode around is that there’s an area where you can make a loop, after riding Armour Drive across the railroad tracks, as it circles around an area that’s “land locked” on all sides, severely limiting travel and development. The area is bordered by the interstate, railroads and Marta, and Peachtree Creek.
There are a handful of manufacturing businesses back there, no places where you would expect retail to the public. While it’s not a bike path, it might as well be. On a Saturday I didn’t encounter a single car. Back on a corner that almost touches Peachtree Creek, I walked back there and found an overlook and (rather steep) trail that leads down to the creek. I was expecting this to be kind of trashy in such an area but found the creek to be very clean, well kept and pretty.
Pictures from the ride…click on image for exploded view
