Cascade Springs Nature Preserve

Departing from a chain-link-fenced parking area, the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve seems an unlikely venue for the natural beauty that borders its trails. The preserve’s tranquility is surrounded by urban buzz in a southwest Atlanta neighborhood. Inside Cascade Spring’s 120 acres of green space, hiking trails lead to a beautiful waterfall, through a wildlife-filled forest and past springs that feed the park’s many streams. The hilly forest is a retreat from the surrounding city and home to a number of hiking trails and wildlife, including deer, birds and turtles.

The Cascade Springs Trail departs the parking area trailhead winding on a boardwalk skirting earthworks built by Civil War troops – a line of defense in the nearby battle of Utoy Creek. The trail meets a moss-covered, stone-and-mortar structure over a trickling spring, turning right to a paved trail to the east. Large relic white oaks dating back to the 1800s are found in upland areas. On slopes and along small stream corridors can be found native plants such as Bloodroot, Solomon’s seal, Solomon’s plume, Trillium, and Wood sorrel, and there are a number of native Umbrella magnolia trees.