Cascade Springs Nature Preserve

I decided to go to Cascade Springs Nature Preserve today for a Memorial Day picnic and hike. I’m so glad I finally checked this place out after (literally) living around the corner from it for 5+ years (tsk tsk). I was surprised to learn how large an area the nature preserve covers.
There are several trails of varying difficulty and and slightly varying elevations. Someone mentioned that the trails were color coded. However, I didn’t see any noticeable coding (probably never looked in the right spots). There are benches and picnic tables at random points around the trail and near the parking area. The reserve is pet friendly as long as the animal is on a leash.
This is an awesome green-​space get away if you just need some time in the woods without leaving the city.

Surprisingly great urban escape. Great easy trails, waterfall, peace and quiet, and only 10 minutes from downtown. Enjoy! Just be sure to note the hours– the gate is locked by mid-​afternoon.

Where in the world did this come from? I had no idea it was there and have passed it many times. My cousin is an Eagle Scout and he needed some people to clean up and assist with the preserve. while it was cold, the scenery was pretty cool. It’s pretty neat that that there is an area in this neighborhood where you can walk the trail, see some springs and be with nature. While this is no waterfall, you can still appreciate nature and clear your mind. I will be back.

I was so surprised that such a wonderful oasis existed over here on the westside. You never hear about it, but it’s great! Decent hiking trails, a beautiful creek, interesting history, I love it!

Very nice greenspace on the westside. Easy trails and lots of them, interconnecting and it’s quite clean except for some trash around the entrance.
Not a huge parking lot but probably sufficient for most days, unless there’s an event. The entrance from Cascade Rd is not hard to spot but there wasn’t any sign warning me coming westbound.
The trails are not real well marked. Although I saw signs pointing the direction for the Ridge trail and a few others, it wasn’t at all intersections, even those that are on the map (there are trails that aren’t on the map).
After the short walk to the trailhead junction from the parking lot, hiking clockwise around the Spring, Ridge and Utoy creek trails takes you past the old pumphouse (which looks like a shrine), the Cascade waterfall (where Turkeyfoot Creek water exits a drainage canal under Cascade Rd), some nice Georgia urban forest and then along serene Utoy Creek. You’ll also pass a spot where you’ll find benches and what seems to be a pulpit, and a larger picnic spot not too far from the start of the loop at the pumphouse/​trailhead junction. The loop is about two miles total, give or take. You can also take the Terrace trail or complete the Spring trail loop. You have options.
There is not a whole lot of elevation change anywhere, so unless you walk fast or hike every inch of trail, Cascade Springs is not a hard workout. However, the trail surfaces are generally very good — not many ankle twisters. The path to the trailhead junction and to the picnic area to the right is very flat.
I saw some evidence of park upkeep but not a lot. It doesn’t need much as long as people treat the land right. Several large trees have fallen across the trails and remain uncut, some for quite a while it seems. Elsewhere, you’ll see where the fallen trees have been cut so I guess it’s a matter of resources. None of the fallen trees were impassable by any means. A watershed non-​profit organization — the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance — has tasked itself with preserving and protecting this park (among others). Note that Cascade Springs is part of the City of Atlanta park system.
In sum, a very nice urban greenspace with some interesting and scenic trails. Plus it can support a fair amount of picnicking activity. Some have described it as ‘spooky’ and I suppose it can seem that way if you’re alone. I saw only one other person (and his dog) on a pleasant late Friday morning.
Recommended.

While I wanted it to be everything I read in everyone’s else’s review, it just wasn’t. Decided to take a midday hike with my dogs. First there is a abundance of poison ivy everywhere, Beware! One of my dogs totally had an reaction to it. Parking was plenty, although there was trash everywhere. The water must have been off cause all i saw was a drip at the waterfall location. The trails at the time were not the best kept, perhaps from a lack of daily visitor, I don’t know. All in all I hate to say I won’t be returning.

Serene and quiet for a comfortalbe walk in nature. The natural spring was not flowing ~ I’m not sure if they blocked it’s flow or why it is not working. Beautiful area Cascade Rd.

After the track we usually walk on was crowded today, we decided to try another track and that was also kinda crowded. So, my wife had the idea that we check out the Nature Preserve. The Preserve is literally around the corner from our house, we pass it every day yet had never checked it out. Well, today we were very pleasantly surprised.
PROS: We hiked for about a mile and a half, saw a couple interesting sites like large rocks perfect for climbing, a couple bridges, a creek and a lectern with benches that looked like a little school/​church in the woods which was interesting. But after all that, we figured we’d seen it all and we actually walked back to the beginning of the trail ready to leave. When we got out to the parking lot though we decided to check the «hiking guide» one last time to see if we missed anything major. Boy, did we! We missed the waterfalls! So we decided to go back and take another trail until we found the falls (which are not far from the entrance of the park).
Finding the falls made our day! It was so beautiful and peaceful. There’s a picnic bench on the hill across from the falls if you just want to sit and watch them from afar (great date idea) but you could also climb into the falls and sit on the rocks right next to them. It was GREAT! Be careful because I slipped and fell in HAHA but we had such a great time that it was worth it.
CONS: I will say, the park is not well manicured (it’s free to the public so maybe they don’t have the money?) and the trails are not well marked so you just kinda wander around not knowing where you’re going but, it’s a big loop so you can’t really get lost. Also, all the info plaques that are supposed to give you information on the landmarks you’re seeing were empty so you had to guess or remember what you read (if you read) on the park sign before you came in. Yeah, for the most part, it just looks like you’re wandering in the woods without much aim and it can get a little creepy-​feeling because it’s pretty secluded. When we first got there, we were pretty much walking along but by the time we left there were a few families and people with their dogs that joined us.
I’m so ashamed to say that this place has been literally ten minutes away from my house all this time and I never checked it out. We’ll be back though!

Very secluded & quiet place to get away and enjoy the woods. They close around 3:30pm during the week and are open till 7:30pm weekends in the summer.
I never saw anyone else on the trails so it was like I had the place to myself which was great but the trails aren’t kept up as well as other parks. The signage is poor but you can’t really get lost as everything leads back to the beginning.
The trails are a little overgrown and sadly there’s an invasion of english ivy all over the property.
There are masses of beautiful Beech, Oak, & Native– Large Leaf Magnolia trees. Several beautiful spots to stop and enjoy nature.
Be cautious of poison ivy.

Cascade Springs Nature Preserve is one of those places that could creep you out just a touch being that it’s so completely deserted the majority of the time, but with my puppy Sherlock it’s awesome! I’ve only seen other people on the trails a couple of times and there’s a waterfall and a few different paths. I have yet to find true trail maps of the area so I wander a good bit, but always find my way and it’s incredibly picturesque and calming through the woods and along the water, the Utoy Creek. I’ll update the review as I find info, but truthfully without my dog I don’t think I would just head out there wandering around.