Settles Bridge is another of the excellent large Gwinnett County parks. It has all the features you expect - walking paths, playground, restrooms, large parking lot, picnic pavilions. It also has a skateboard park and a huge dog park.
This review is for the hiking trails. Along with the paved and manicured walking paths, Settles Bridge has a decent amount of dirt trails that take you into the suburban forest.
Before I go further, I'll point out an important aspect of Settles Bridge that sets it apart from the other Gwinnett parks, at least in regard to hiking. Settles Bridge park is adjacent to one of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area units - the Settles Bridge unit to be precise. So, if you're adventurous and want to hike for a longer distance, you can walk into the NRA property from the county park, or vice versa. Note however, that there are no trail signs, markers or other aids to guide you into the NRA and note also that that particular NRA unit is fairly undeveloped. There are no trail signs on it either (see my review of the NRA).
It's not a total backwoods trailblazing thing, though. The trail leading from the county park into the NRA, and all the NRA trails, are laid out and obvious. They are maintained to some degree. Just no signs.
That said, back to the review of the county park. To get to the dirt trails, which are well marked on maps scattered about the park, you can take the paved path north from the dog park. You also can jump onto a trail right next to the parking lot but I preferred to walk to the other end and hike back. It's a nice walk itself and you'll shortly come to the 'information kiosk' (actually just another large park map) shown on the map at the end of the path. Beyond there, you're on dirt. Mostly dirt - there are some pea-gravelled sections and much of the trails have been overlain with black ground cloth, which is practically invisible during leaf-dropping season. The leaf cover was so heavy when I was there that at times I looked ahead of me and could not distinguish any trail-sign other than where I thought the path might logically lead.
Which brings me to another point. Unlike a lot of hiking trails in the area and the state, Settles Bridge has no markings along the trail to lead you. No little tags on trees and no colored splotches or stripes, either. This despite the fact that the maps are color-coded for the various trails. I did notice some green splotches on trees while I was hiking the yellow trail, but that's obviously not helpful. They do have map markers at each trail intersection and the trails aren't all that long, so you won't get lost. Probably.
From the end of the paved path (the kiosk), I hiked the yellow trail to the intersection of the end of the red trail. The end of the red trail is where the trail continues into the NRA. If you're looking at the very large (too large) granite marker commemorating someone's support for the park, take the left fork. The right fork also leads out of the park but you'll shortly run into a fence and a 'private property' sign. I hiked both forks.
After coming back from the NRA (and getting a shoe soaked in an attempt to cross a waterlogged section of trail), I hiked down the red trail back towards the parking lot as far as the intersection with the blue trail. Here, I think, is the best part of the park - the blue trail. It winds for a mile or so through gorgeous forest and stream. You can jump onto the blue trail at a midpoint of the red trail, or you can start from the parking area. The unmarked trailhead is near the east end of the parking lot off the paved path. If you hike Settles Bridge, don't leave this trail out.
Unless you go into the NRA, hiking the dirt trails isn't going to give you a tremendous workout. There is some elevation change in the park but the distances are not very long. But it's good for a one or two hour escape from whatever you need escaping from.
As with other county parks, there are too many gas-powered blowers being used. The place doesn't need to be all that well manicured. It's a park.
Highly recommended. I'd give it five stars but in the category of hiking spots, the national and state parks still have the edge. read more