Sloppy Floyd State Park, Georgia
The Marble Mines hike at Sloppy Floyd State Park has been on our must do list for a while. It is a relatively easy but uphill hike to the mouth of a cave, with a pond and waterfall. There are plenty more extensive trails in the area to explore as well.
Sloppy Floyd turned out to be a perfect lunch stop on our way to Cloudland Canyon State Park. It is about an hour and a half from Atlanta. We checked in at the visitors center to pay the admissions fee and picked up the Jr. Ranger packet. Then we attempted to walk across the bridge to the trail start, but our path was blocked by a water snake that had found its way onto the large bridge.
We opted to drive and park over in the day use area and begin our hike.
The Marble Mines Trail is uphill but otherwise easy. The littles had no trouble hiking it on their own.
It ends at the mouth of a cave, with a waterfall flowing from the top. A boardwalk takes you behind the waterfall and over the pond of water forming at the bottom.
There are so many picnic tables here I can’t imagine having trouble finding a spot. We set up at a table near the parking lot for lunch and then walked over to the small playground.
You can also rent watercraft if you are looking to extend your day at the park. Make sure you head back to the Ranger Station to pick up your Jr. Ranger badge before leaving the park.
For us, we enjoyed the opportunity to stretch our legs and enjoy a shady picnic spot before continuing north to Cloudland Canyon State Park.
