MANAGEMENT: National Park Service Chattahoochee National Recreation Area 1978 Island Ford Parkway Atlanta, GA 30350
HIGHLIGHTS: Sope Creek is named for a full-blooded Cherokee Indian who lived along its banks. The Indians had been removed by law from the area in 1838, but somehow Old Chief Sope managed to remain. It is said that little boys in the area would run away from home to visit the kindly man who told them stories and taught them Cherokee words.
The stone ruins along the creek are remnants of the Marietta Paper Mill which produced a large portion of the South’s paper from 1855 to 1902. Union troops burned the original mills in 1864. Contrary to popular belief, the ruins are from the buildings erected after the Civil War. To reach the mills, visitors must use the car parking lot at Sope Creek on Paper Mill Road and descend on foot to the ruins.
This three mile loop hike skirts the edge of the Marietta Paper Mill and descends along a well worn hiking trail to Sope Creek. It crosses some mountain biking routes on occasion, so be sure to watch the trail carefully. After following along the banks of Sope Creek for about a mile, it climbs back toward Sibley Pond and loops to the parking area where the hike began.
