Big Creek Greenway, Alpharetta

Photo: John Phelan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Big Creek Greenway is a 12-foot-wide concrete and boardwalk trail that follows Big Creek through the woods and wetlands of Alpharetta. Since its last Alpharetta section opened in 2021, it runs without a break for about 10 miles, from Big Creek Park in Roswell north to Union Hill Park at the Forsyth County line, where Forsyth County’s section continues toward Cumming.

• Length in AlpharettaAbout 10 miles, Big Creek Park (Roswell) to Union Hill Park
• SurfaceConcrete and boardwalk, 12 feet wide
• Good forWalking, running, biking, strollers and skating
• CostFree

Trailheads and Parking

There is no public greenway parking at Mansell Crossing. A short tunnel carries the trail under Webb Bridge Road.

On the Trail

The greenway is a linear park first planned in the 1980s, and most of it stays in the floodplain, so expect shade, boardwalks over wetlands and plenty of birds, turtles and the occasional deer. Dirt mountain bike trails branch off near the south end around Big Creek Park. Keep right, pass on the left with a call or bell, keep dogs leashed and pick up after them.

At Union Hill Park the trail meets Forsyth County’s Big Creek Greenway, which runs about 11 more miles past Fowler Park to Sawnee Mountain Preserve. Plans to link the two systems fully have been tied up with road work on McGinnis Ferry Road.

Big Creek GreenwayPaved path along the creek

Trail SignsMile markers along the way

Contact: Alpharetta Recreation, Parks and Cultural Services, 1825 Old Milton Pkwy., Alpharetta; 678-297-6100. More trails: Metro Atlanta parks.