So, I had been planning a date night for Brandon for a while now: a sunset picnic at the bamboo forest, and for some reason or another, it kept getting pushed back until this past Friday. We can’t wait to share our adventure!
If you aren’t familiar with Atlanta’s bamboo forest is a beautiful urban oasis where towering emerald-green bamboo shoots create a magical sanctuary amidst the bustling city, offering a tranquil escape and a whimsical adventure that blends urban enchantment with natural beauty.
It is almost impossible to believe that this beautiful area is 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta and only ten minutes away from Truist Park and the Battery.
The bamboo forest is part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, more specifically the East Palisades – Indian Trail and Whitewater Creek, and does require a five-dollar parking pass.
We parked at EP- 28: 4058 Whitewater Creek Rd NW, Atlanta, also called Dog Beach, since it is a popular area to take your dog to jump in the Chattahoochee River. Beware, there are no bathrooms at this parking location!
We typically go to this parking spot when we go tubing down the river in the summer. It does get very crowded during the summer, especially on weekends, by about 9:30 am, so be sure to get there early or arrive later in the afternoon if you plan on going on a summer weekend!
Since we got there around 6:00 pm on a Friday, plenty of parking spots existed! Once we parked, we hopped onto the trail and were immediately greeted with beautiful bridges that crossed over streams leading to the Chattahoochee.
The start of the trail follows the banks of the river on a nice flat trail from EP 1 to EP 2, where we then take a right up the bluff to follow the path from EP 3 to EP 7 to EP 8 to EP 10. This was the most challenging part of the hike, and there were many ups and downs, but it was never too bad.
Once we hit EP 10, we took a left to get to EP 14. Take the left turn!!! It takes you to this beautiful outlook of the river and the city. It is crazy to be surrounded by all this beauty and see giant buildings in the background.
From there, we followed the trail to EP 26, where the bamboo forest is. It took us about an hour to get out to the forest from our start point, and that was even to stop and take lots of photos. It is roughly 1.8 miles away from the EP 1 start point.
This bamboo forest is BEAUTIFUL!! It pops up out of nowhere. As you hike along the river, it turns straight to bamboo everywhere. It is incredible. We took some time to explore and wander through the forest before picking out a picnic spot.
Right in the forest’s center is this giant tree surrounded by shooting bamboo. It is a pretty magical site to see. And it was even more magical because we were the only ones out there!! I don’t know if we got lucky or if going on a Friday night is always great timing, but we had the whole forest to ourselves.
We settled down on an open patch of ground by the river and enjoyed our picnic of sandwiches and salads, listening to the leaves and the river rushing by. It was a perfect Friday night date night.
Once we packed up our picnic, we headed back down the trail, hitting the perfect sunset time. The hike home was breathtaking, with the lighting and the sights. And we rejoiced when we returned to our car, thinking we might be locked in the park for being late.
Overall, this hike was about 3.8 miles long and easy to moderate with some hills. The views along the trail were gorgeous, from the sights right next to the river to the ones high above. Beware, there are no bathrooms on the trail or at the parking lot at EP 1. Make a fun picnic day out of your adventure and spend plenty of time exploring the bamboo forest!!
