All around Mercer’s campus, the leaves are changing, the breeze is starting to catch a chill and fall is coming in full swing. In spite of this beautiful change of scenery, students tend to spend more time indoors preparing for finals and completing course projects as the semester comes to a close. If you're looking for inexpensive, refreshing and fun ways to spend your free time or just to take a mental break this Autumn, look no further than the numerous walking trails and national parks in the Macon area. As a frequent trail-goer and nature enthusiast, these are five spots I recommend visiting to enjoy the cool weather this season.
The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park features multiple walking trails that are about eight miles long in total, including the Ocmulgee National Monument loop, Great Temple mound loop and parts of the historic Bartram trail. Many of these trails are less than 1.5 miles in length. The park itself is a prehistoric Indigenous historic site, with over 3,000 acres of protected land and educational stops along each walking trail. The hike leading to the top of the mounds offers visitors a beautiful view of the surrounding forest and landscape, as well as some of downtown Macon.
Just a short drive away, there's another great bird’s eye view at Brown’s Mount trail. The trail is about 1.2 miles, so it is a quick and easy trek from the trailhead to the viewing point at the top. Parts of the Ocmulgee river, Macon and even Warner Robins are visible from the top of the mount.
The trail begins off of Joe Brown road, where there is parking and restrooms past the entry gate for visitors. The trailhead is open from dawn to dusk every day of the week, and as the leaves continue to fall to the ground, the views from the overlook will continue to get better. With adequate time to enjoy the views and explore the beautiful forest, this trail took me about an hour to complete.
A longer trail that offers mountain bikers a chance to pedal around, too, lies just 20 minutes from campus. The pig trails, as they are known, create a 7.5 mile loop through a forested area. While the trail is maintained, be careful of roots and stones on the trail. There is lots of wildlife near the lake and creeks throughout the trail – in early October, a fox, several turtles and a few deer crept into view.
There are color-coded trail markers with multiple routes throughout the loop. The longevity of the hike at the pig trails gave me plenty of time to think to myself and truly appreciate the environment around me. Overall, this is a moderate-level trail given the change in elevation and, at times, rough terrain, but there was a nice balance with the flatter, calmer parts of the trail.
Jackson Springs park is a nice home base to explore multiple trails in the same area. Perfect for a picnic or brisk walk, Jackson Springs offers picturesque stone bridges and greenery bordering a small creek. The creek flows out of the nearby Ocmulgee river, along which you can walk the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail that is accessible from Jackson Springs.
The Ocmulgee Heritage Trail passes through the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park, historic Rose Hill Cemetery, Carolyn Crayton Park and other local Macon green spaces. The entire trail is approximately 13 miles, but if you want a shorter walk there are plenty of hop off-hop on and parking areas along the way. Right next door to Jackson Springs is the W.G Lee Camellia Garden. This garden features over 200 varieties of camellias, which bloom from late summer to early fall. Any of these three connected outdoor spaces make for a lovely excursion.
The final walking trail is about 30 minutes north of Macon, with large falls and rapids feeding from the Towaliga river. In my experience, the best time to visit is in September and October. The park contains 1,000 acres of explore hiking loops along the falls, shaded picnic shelters, fishing holes and campgrounds and, above all, an overlook of the falls and the Tranquil trail, which is about three miles long.
Like Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, High Falls State Park does require a park pass or an admission fee. Many National parks offer students discounts on annual park passes, which is great if you plan on frequenting other National parks. A free membership with the Georgia Public Library system can also provide access to free day passes to state parks.
If you’re interested in finding more trails near you, apps like AllTrails or the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' website can offer more information about routes, attractions, park passes and special events nearby.
Hannah Mock ‘29 is a communications major at Mercer and is currently a staff writer for The Mercer Cluster. When she’s not at a coffee shop catching up on her studies, she is working on her latest artistic projects or out hiking a new nature trail. Her favorite things to write about include arts and culture, social issues and community accomplishments.
