Morningside Nature Preserve

Our visit to Morningside Nature Preserve in Atlanta, GA

Atlanta people, this one’s for you! On this trip, we ventured into the city and hiked in Morningside Nature Preserve. This preserve is managed by the City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Atlanta is known as “the city in the forest.” This is because so much of Atlanta and the area surrounding the city has so much tree coverage. Atlanta has pockets of forest throughout its neighborhoods, and the Morningside Nature Preserve is one of those pockets. This park is located in northeast Atlanta in the Morningside/Lenox Park Neighborhood.

There are two areas to enter the preserve. We went to the Wellbourne Drive entrance (I had to drop a pin on Apple maps to get this approximate address: 1941 Wellbourne Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30324). There is another entrance with an actual parking lot at 2020 Lenox Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324. We had to park on the street on a residential road at the Wellbourne Drive entrance.

There is no map at either of the two entrances, but the trails are marked pretty well. And if there aren’t any markers, you definitely know where to follow the trail. The trail follows South Fork Peachtree Creek. There is a small shallow creek crossing at the beginning of the trail. After that, the trail stays pretty dry. As you walk along South Fork Peachtree Creek, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the sandy creek banks.

There is a suspension bridge on a trail in Morningside Nature Preserve that crosses the creek

At one point, there is a suspension bridge on a trail in Morningside Nature Preserve that crosses the creek. This was my favorite part of the trail. Not only does it give you a view of the creek, but it gives you a great view of the dog beach! This trail system is extremely dog friendly. On the sandy bank under the bridge is an area perfect for letting your dog play in the creek. It was cool to see so many dogs out.

About 70% of the trails are flat. There is a boardwalk that leads up to a bunch of stairs. There is also one other area that was uphill. But compared to other trails we have hiked on, this one was a breeze. There are a few trails that make loops off of the main trail, but it is pretty easy to keep your general direction while in the preserve.

It was also nice to see that this trail is actively maintained. On our visit, a walkway was in the process of being constructed. There is also a section of the trail that runs along power lines. Be on the lookout for all the blackberries that grow in this section!

Overall, this was a nice hike. It was really easy, but we were definitely sweating because it was a toasty Atlanta summer day. If I lived in Atlanta, I would definitely be here all the time. Morningside Nature Preserve is a hidden gem in the city.

Atlanta has several breweries located “inside the perimeter” – around 26 of them! We decided to visit two while we were here because we don’t travel to Atlanta that often. The first stop was SweetWater Brewing Company.

Tips for your trip:

• Morningside has a lot of dogs off leash. Normally this would upset me, but it definitely seems to be part of the culture there, and that’s pretty unique!
• The Wellbourne Drive entrance is closer to the dog beach and bridge.
• This is a more populated area for hiking – if you like to go hiking in sparsely populated areas, then consider looking somewhere else.

Morningside Nature Preserve
2020 Lenox Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
(Google Map)

Morningside Nature Preserve