The Sequel: November 28th, 2025 (Victory Meat and the Ever-Moving Goalpost)

Big Creek Greenway – Forsyth County Section from Bethelview Road Trailhead to Halcyon Trailhead

16,926 steps / ~8 miles

With the Roswell and Alpharetta sections of the Big Creek Greenway completed, the Forsyth County section continued to haunt me. I wasn’t sure if I would even attempt it, but my loving partner Noah convinced me that we could do it in a day if we leapfrogged – meaning we’d park one car at one end, one at the other, and walk straight through.

When you just Google “big creek greenway forsyth county map,” what comes up is a map that makes it look possible to walk the whole section in a day: an 8-mile stretch that feels doable, if difficult. However, when we reached the Union Hill Trailhead* and looked at the map posted by the bathrooms (yes, there are bathrooms and, yes, it was a relief) we discovered something unexpected: more sections have been completed. The Greenway now extends as far as the Sawnee Mountain Preserve Trailhead at roughly the 17th mile marker. In other words, the Greenway is now double the length of the map we were working with.

So, to summarize: I went from not knowing there was a Forsyth County section (in my defense, the Roswell-Alpharetta map doesn’t show it, and the two sections aren’t connected, so is it really the same Greenway?) to the cursed knowledge that it did exist, to the frustrating realization that my journey would never truly be complete.

The one thing I hadn’t factored into my New Year’s Resolution to walk the entire Big Creek Greenway was that the Greenway is constantly expanding! Therefore, the goalpost for what constitutes “completion” is ever moving.

What I mean to express through all these big, philosophical words is: I give up. With this 8-mile section complete, I decided I’d earned the right to celebrate my goal as finished.

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We chose a beautiful sunny day, about 50°F, to take on the arduous journey.

What I enjoyed most about this section is that it’s mostly boardwalk. The trail takes you through multiple wetlands, especially towards the beginning, and you get to cross an absurd number of bridges over Big Creek. It kind of became a running joke for me to say “Hello again, Big Creek!” every time we walked over one. To Noah’s chagrin, I took photos at most of them, too.

There were plenty of benches, mainly on the concrete sections. I’m not sure if they’re, like, not allowed to put benches on a raised boardwalk? But there were definitely places I would’ve appreciated one.

As much as I love a crisp, sunny, 50° day, what I don’t love about this time of year is that most of the trees are already bare. The main colors of this walk were grey and brown, plus the constant presence of the Sun in our eyes. We didn’t get to see much wildlife besides squirrels, although we did hear what the Merlin app identified as a pileated woodpecker!

Because it rained all day 2 days ago, the Creek was fairly juicy and there was even a section of the trail that was flooded, which is a Big Creek Greenway staple at this point. There was a closed stretch of bridge with a dirt path detour to the side of it, and I’d read that Fowler Park was under construction, although we saw folks heading that way. If I could go back in time, I would’ve split the walk there and done it in halves, but I didn’t even know if that was possible when we planned this during Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.

About 2 miles from the Halcyon trailhead, my Achilles tendon (I think) started acting up. A sudden, burning pain shot through the heel of my left leg and almost up to my calf. Stopping to stretch it helped a little, but it didn’t truly improve until I rested. That was a new and unpleasant sensation, lol.

There was a point where I turned to Noah and said, “I feel like I’m a different person from when we started.” I still feel that way. This section really tested my limits. I think this is the most I’ve ever walked in one go – at least, since I’ve owned a smartwatch. Definitely met and exceeded my step goal today!

Would I ever do this again? NO!

Could you pay me to? Maybe.

I’m going to be honest: I have no desire to walk the other half of this section of the trail. The longer it gets, the farther away it is from where I live. The Bethelview trailhead was already about a half-hour drive from my house and I’ve decided that’s as far as I’m willing to go for Greenway purposes.

So, to seal the deal and declare victory, Noah and I went to the Iron Age over in the Halcyon mixed-use district to enjoy what we gleefully referred to as “victory meat.” Because we’d left our regular glasses in Noah’s car, we were forced to wear prescription sunglasses indoors. Noah absconded with a plate to commemorate our triumph, both over the trail and over the meat. And, you know what? I do feel victorious.

*(which is, by the way, at a different Union Hill Park, not to be confused with this one)