My wife noticed a reference to the Alphaloop online, as they had just opened a new segment connecting downtown Alpharetta with Avalon. We had some other places to visit in the general area, so we opted to stop by here for a walk early one Saturday.
For some background, the Alphaloop is apparently a long-term project by the city of Alpharetta to interconnect various shopping, entertainment, and recreational areas within the city via a wide concrete walking and biking path. They show several other segments already completed, but we did not explore those.
We parked in a multi-story deck between the downtown public space and the library. Even at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday, it was getting busy (likely due to the farmers' market and craft booths they have nearby). We exited the deck and crossed an adjacent park. A guy walking his dog gave us the final pointer to reach the loop. I think they could use a bit more signage directing you to it, but maybe that is planned.
We enjoyed walking on the path as much of it initially was shaded. It connects to various apartments and condos nearby. There are also some ponds and landscaping along the way. Eventually it turns and runs along a street (as sort of a very aggrandized sidewalk) for the last 1/4 mile until you reach the border of Avalon. The Alphaloop terminates there, but Avalon is already pretty walk-able, so the transition isn't jarring. After a bit of exploration, we retraced our route back to downtown Alpharetta.
This was a pleasant walk. If we lived in the area, I'd definitely take advantage of this. Also, it might allow you to park elsewhere and walk or bike to Avalon during peak times (driving there was not pleasant on a couple of past visits). read more