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Sweetwater Creek State Park

Photo: John Murphy / CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

🌊 Lakes & rivers

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Lithia Springs, GA · Metro Atlanta

About

Less than a half-mile down the Red Trail, the five-story brick shell of the New Manchester textile mill rises straight out of the woods, its empty window rows looking onto the whitewater shoals of Sweetwater Creek where Union troops burned it in 1864. Past the ruins the path climbs to rocky bluffs above the rapids, and back at the trailhead the 215-acre George Sparks Reservoir keeps kayaks, canoes, and aquacycles moving all summer, fifteen miles from downtown Atlanta.

Highlights

New Manchester Mill ruins (burned 1864)Red Trail to the mill and creek shoalsSweetwater Creek rapids and rocky bluffs215-acre George Sparks ReservoirKayak, canoe, and aquacycle rentalsAward-winning visitor center

Getting there

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Curated guides that feature Sweetwater Creek State Park.

Georgia State Parks18 places

Georgia State Parks

Georgia's state parks pack a remarkable range into one state. Up north there are deep gorges and the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast; in the southwest, a pink-and-orange canyon erosion carved out of old farmland; through the middle, mineral springs and CCC-built lodges; and down south, the wild blackwater edge of the Okefenokee. These are the ones worth building a weekend around, from the Blue Ridge to the coast.