The quest to create a sweeping Chattahoochee River trail system and recreation destination through much of metro Atlanta has taken a key step forward this week.  

Carroll County and national nonprofit Trust for Public Land have partnered for the third time in five years to expand McIntosh Reserve, a riverside haven for wildlife southwest of Atlanta near Newnan. 

The latest acquisition of 327 riverfront acres brings McIntosh Reserve’s total to 1,750 acres—or roughly nine times the size of Midtown’s Piedmont Park.

Courtesy of Trust for Public Land

McIntosh Reserve will serve a key role—the southernmost river take-out point and campsite—in the planned 48-mile Chattahoochee RiverLands Camp + Paddle Trail, which is designed to stretch from Atlanta down to Carroll County.

The latest Carroll County acreage expansion will specifically make possible a future trail spanning eight miles between McIntosh Reserve and Moore’s Bridge Park, allowing visitors to explore two county parks in a single trip. 

A $1.46-million Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program grant helped support the McIntosh Reserve expansion, per officials. 

George Dusenbury, Georgia State Director at TPL, said the three parcels now secured at McIntosh Reserve will account for 8 percent of the full, metro-spanning Riverlands trail initiative.

Location of the now 1,750-acre park, southwest of Atlanta near Newnan. Google Maps

Potential look of a Chattahoochee RiverLands outdoor gathering place. Courtesy of Trust for Public Land/Chattahoochee RiverLands

According to TPL leadership, the transferred property adds almost 2/3 of a mile of Chattahoochee River frontage and protects a habitat that’s home to 19 priority and rare species. Those include bald eagles, state-protected bluestripe shiner, and highscale shiner fish. 

Archaeological evidence indicates humans were present on the land in question dating back to 8,000 B.C., and it also carries ancestral ties to the Muskogee (Creek) Nation, according to TPL. 

“This land will give families more ways to explore the river while preserving a place that is an important part of our county’s history,” said Michelle Morgan, Carroll County Commission chair, in an announcement this week. 

The Camp+Paddle Trail will be just one section of the planned Chattahoochee RiverLands, a vast outdoor recreation destination that will eventually span across 100 miles of parks, stretching from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. It's being billed as "metro Atlanta's ultimate outdoor experience." 

Eventually, the Chattahoochee RiverLands project is expected to link about 1 million nearby residents and visitors to activities such as swimming, bicycling, kayaking, picnicking, walking, and camping along the river. 

If realized as planned, the project would connect 20 cities and seven counties in metro Atlanta to the Chattahoochee River, per TPL officials. Eight campgrounds and 43 access points are in the works. 

Find a closer look at the broad vision and specific key sections in the gallery above.

Overview of Chattahoochee RiverLands' 100-mile planned scope, starting in Buford (top left) and ending at Chattahoochee Bend State Park in Newnan. Courtesy of Trust for Public Land/Chattahoochee RiverLands

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