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Print Friendly MapRome's Ridge Ferry Trail links two paths at the confluence of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers, where these two waterways meet to form the Coosa River. Paved promenades line both sides of the Oostanaula, and a railroad trestle overlooking the confluence has been converted into a pedestrian bridge. It forms the bottom curve of this U-shaped trail. The trail is also part of the city's connected ECO Greenway trail system, spanning 16 miles.
Start your trek by heading down to Unity Point, east of the pedestrian bridge, for views of the layered pathways and gardens and the rivers below. From the west side of the bridge the trail winds about 2 miles along the Oostanaula. While it ends amid a rather dull residential district, the return trip offers beautiful views of the tree-lined river and historic brick buildings in downtown Rome.
Sail past your starting point and skirt the east bank of the Oostanaula for even more trailside gems. This route saunters along the river, offering scenic lookouts and several diversions. You'll wander through wooded stretches and pleasant parks and pass baseball fields, volleyball courts, playgrounds, a boat dock and a fishing area.
Just north of Ridge Ferry Park, a spur trail leads to the Chieftains Museum, a National Historic Landmark that highlights the culture and heritage of the Cherokee Indians. Follow the spur to Riverside Parkway; the museum is on a corner across the street.
The onward trail emerges at State Mutual Stadium. If your timing is good, you might be able to catch nine innings with the Rome Braves, a minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
Rome is in northwest Georgia, west of I-75. To reach Heritage Park, take GA 20 to Second Avenue; head south and turn right on Broad Street. You'll find parking one block down on the right.
The State Mutual Stadium, another trailhead, is at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Highway and Riverside Parkway.
Parking is available in many other places throughout town; see trail map for more options.
This is a nice little loop now with the opening of the bridge near the baseball stadium. The only real point of issue on my ride was that in the park area on the east side of the river roots were pushing up the pavement to make for a pretty bumpy stretch down that bit of the trail. Once through that though, it was mostly smooth riding.
I do hope for more spurs and expansions to allow for additional access to stores and shops so that it can be used for much more than just joyrides.
We were prepared to walk one hour, not two and I am glad we did. Met friendly people along the way. It was worth the misunderstanding.
I have rode the trail numerous times and it is getting in worst shape. A lot of bumps where roots have grown under the asphalt causing it to rise up. ROME -----Please keep the maintenance up and the cut back the brush so people can see the River..
My husband and I drove down from Cleveland TN after reading about the Heritage Park Trail online. The pictures online made it very appealing. However, the directions to find the park and walking trails were zero. Our GPS system brought us to a left turn in the town and we were left on her own to find the park We found a boat ramp and a small playground that some children were playing on I asked a lady there if she could tell me where the trails were. She thought if we took the walkway around where the children were playing it would put us on the trail and take us down next to the Atlanta Braves park. We ended up at what look like a sewer treatment plant. There were no markings on the trail to say go this way or go that way. We could see a beautiful historic area across the river but wasn't sure how to get there. On our return back after about 2 miles in the sun and passing a sewage treatment plant we decided to take a bridge across to the other side where we found a very pleasant walking trail. If you advertise your trail, you should give some definite directions for the trail and there should be signs along the way identifying how many miles and what's up ahead. Maps identifying all of the historical buildings would even be nice. Unfortunately we were on a time crunch and regret we didn't get to see the best part of this trail. Not likely to come back.
They are now stands with a map, and set of tools and a airpump. I live in the area, the problem is that many people don't know that they are hidden trials on the trails. The trail is pretty long and amazing. The trail is way longer than 4.5 miles.
Wow, what a let down!! After a 1.5 hour drive we got there to find no markers and no maps or signs to point you in the right direction. OK think of this as an adventure, but it is not. The trail was just not worth the drive for us. No maps, markers, signs. Seems like a good idea but they did not have enough money to finish it. The homeless people on the trail were nice and waved as we went by. The pictures you see in the pgotos tab are in 1 area and not of the complete trail. We packed up and went to the Silver Comet for the rest of the day.
This was one of the best trails we have ever ridden. The trail was pristine and the different types of scenery changed so often it made for a very enjoyable ride. We got to experience the river and very neat pedestrian bridges. It also winds thru some very scenic shady woodland settings. The memorial park and huge water fountain being enjoyed by many people on a hot muggy day. The tribute statue to policemen and military who have given the ultimate sacrifice was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Then it takes you into a very nice park that was very nice and well maintained. I especially liked the workout stations just off the trail in the park. There is a "tree house" that the park staff have built that the trail runs right under. If this wasn't enough the trail ended at the Rome Braves Stadium. Then the fun of seeing it all again from the opposite direction on the return trip. We made the 10 mile round trip in a little over an hour. It is well worth the visit and is designed for any age and any skill level. We will definitely be back.
We rode the trail for the first time yesterday, and quite honestly, were puzzled about where to go about 50% of the time. At one point, the trail just ended, and in a sketchy part of town, to boot. If Rome went to the expense to build this great trail, why didn't they spend the little extra to install directional signs? We have cycled many miles in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, and on the Silver Comet trail, and the signage is excellent. Once we figured it out, we really enjoyed the ride. Absolutely beautiful scenery abounds, probably one of the most beautiful rides to be found. Not a huge challenge, but a terrific way to spend a beautiful afternoon on a maginificent autumn day. Enjoy!
The yellow markers mark the actual bike trail. Once the markers are discovered it is easy to get on the bike trail. We got pulled over by the County police since we were riding on a bike/hiking restricted road. The police directed us onto the trail. Nice bike trail and route.
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