Silver Comet / Chief Ladiga Forum

Is overnight parking permitted here? If not, where is a good place to leave a car overnight in the area?

I spoke to Brendan at Elevated Grounds just today about shuttling my group of 8 from Piedmont to Hiram, GA in April. His price is the same as last year - $1.50/mile. He's wonderful.

Hey riding friends! My friends and I rode from Hiram to the Anniston trail head last April and had so much fun we're riding again this April.

Those of you who are currently riding the trail,what are the conditions? Is everything good? Thank you.

Hello riders,
We are riding the silver comet this March and wanted to know where to stay off of the chief ladiga trail near the end. We’ve heard that it becomes urban at some point and would prefer to avoid that part.
Does anyone have any experience with that trail and where to stay for an overnight?
Thanks!

About 1 mile south of the Trail end (on Weaver raod), is Mccellen Inn. Go to the map and scoll (zoom) in more information shows up. I knew some people that stayed there and said is was bike frendly. They also left thier car at the Inn.

Looking for more information on your camping area

Scroll down the Forum. There is a lot of information on pay areas and public (free use sites) in the wilderness areas.

Us there any shuttle services along this trail?

Willing to help. Not a service, just fellow rider.
There are some services, scroll down the forum to see more information

Howdy. I'm going to be in Montgomery for some training later this year and wanted to ride the trail. An option I was considering is driving up to Atlanta, taking the train to Anniston, and riding back to Atlanta. I wanted to see if anyone had experience with this in the past and could offer advice. Additionally, if you have experience with Amtrak in general any advice would be appreciated.

Doing initial research things I have found:

Bikes can't be checked but seem to be able to be boxed and checked.

Anniston does not have checked bag service (limiting my terminus in ATL). Unsure how this affects the unloading of bags.

Only one train per day and it's a morning one

We used pedal assist bikes in April 2024. We are planning a trip for April 2025 and one of the potential riders with us has an e-bike with a throttle. What is the rule on the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga regarding throttles? Thank you.

No restrictions, that I am aware of.

I found this"Are E-bikes and Scooters allowed on PATH Trails?
Yes - As long as they do not exceed 20 mph! That would be Class 1 for e-bikes." on https://www.pathfoundation.org/faq

I sent an email tonight asking if class 2 are allowed since it meets the requirements mentioned above of not exceeding 20mph.

We stopped in here twice while riding the Silver Comet/Chief Ladiga trails. Each time the food was delicious and the atmosphere friendly and welcoming.

The owner, Brandon, also provides the only shuttle service along the trail which is really helpful and convenient. The price was fair and it saved us another night (or two) of lodging costs. Call Brandon at (256) 294-5349 if you need shuttle service. He can accommodate 1-3 people in a car or more people in a minibus.

Great food and friendly people! A must stop when riding through Piedmont AL. Many thanks to Brandon who provided our shuttle service back to Mavell Rd trail head in Smyrna...he is an excellent resource for information about the trail, where to stay and other services.

I just want to add my recommendation about Elevated Grounds Cafe in Piedmont. Delicious food, friendly, kind people. Right off the trail. The trail runs next to their parking lot. Give them your business when you are passing Piedmont.

My wife and I highly recommend the shuttle from Elevated Grounds coffee shop and eatery in Piedmont. Contact Brandon. Great service. We did Smyrna to Anniston in 3 days. The trail was excellent.

I have a question. We are bringing our e bikes. Can the shuttle service shuttle our bikes as well? There will be six of us and 6 E – bikes.

I ride a good bit, around 500 miles a month, mostly on a asphalt paved bike trail and asphalt surface streets.....not exactly well maintained, but whenever I get up there and ride the silver comet, wow, on the Georgia side, the concrete is so harsh to me, it beats me up pretty good, neck, shoulders, wrist, even after only 10-20 miles.....it's kind of starting taking the fun out of the silver comet for me.

For example, on the GA side, west of cedartown, there are a 2 short sections where an asphalt road parallels the trail, I take the road...and it's such a physical relief, the roads are not in pristine shape or anything, but relative to the concrete SC trail, it just feels like I'm floating when I'm on the road...Is this just me, I've never really heard anyone else talking about this....

I ride an older 2005-ish specialized allez aluminum frame with carbon forks and seatpost, 25mm tires around 90 psi, but I see you guys and gals out there with your fancy carbon fiber future shock ISOspeed decoupled bikes...do those rigs do a decent job of taking the edge off that concrete ? Anyone switched from an older bike like mine to a domane\roubaix\synapse\defy modern "endurance" bike ?

Also those long slight grades kind of get in my head at times, i'm used to more of a rolling ride with some pretty level sections in between...guess no carbon fiber in the world can help with that...but going down those long grades is great, makes me feel like I'm a real cyclists...i really like the run from around the state line going east back to cedartown.

No shade on the SC, it's absolutely beautiful, i really like it in the winter in the on-grade sections during leaf-off. You can see the terrain, it's really neat to ride across those valley fills when your way up high and the peak cuts are cool riding in between those walls of rocks...

Absolutely ruff conditions. Ive gone with a Jamis Ventura alum/carbon fork roadbike that will hold 32mm tires running about 85psi. Takes the edge off and wasnt a very expensive bike. Double wrap the bars. Im sure a gravel bike would be good also but probably heavier. Ive got an expensive isobar carbon fiber bike and i found them both similar but the 25mm tires are rougher. the carbon bike is faster if you pull but its just really not like the Jamis is a slow bike. I'm lucky to be able to compare both and i was surprised I dont feel like the alum bike is slower.

The 32mm tires are gatorskins. I prefer the Jamis bike on the trail.

Cheers.

>Absolutely ruff conditions
Thanks Redeye,glad it's just not me.

Sometimes when I'm riding the SC I think that it sure would be nice if they somehow were able to put a nice smooth layer of asphalt on top of that concrete...sometimes I think way back in the late 90s\early 2000s it was asphalt....but I'm pretty unsure about that...

>Ive gone with a Jamis Ventura alum/carbon fork roadbike
I actually have a ~2008 Jamis Ventura, I figured that it would be around the same ride quality as my Allez. I'm maxed out tire size wize on my allez running the 25s, but yea I'll have another look at my Jamis and see if I can get wider tires on it....

> Double wrap the bars
Ohh yea, thats a good idea

Ok, just road Saturday August 19th from 7 miles west of cedartown(to get an even 100 miles) to the end at weaver, AL.

I upgraded my tires from cheaper ones(continental ultra sport iii) to Conti Grand Prix 4 season, 25 mm, worked my way down from 95 PSI to 82.

Game changer, those tires take the concrete vibration(i think it the sidewalls, they seem different than the cheap tires?) that I was complaining about away, and also in general smooth out asphalt also, honestly it's kindof like a new bike. And too boot, they handle great, love the cornering.

With these tires, now I like the georgia side better, pretty pretty smooth. The roots on the Alabama asphalt side are now my new nemesis.

I'm still considering an endurance bike for those roots, looking at trek domane and specialized roubaix with their active suspensions, but also giant defy, canyon endurace, cannondale synapse, felt VR

I just got a used\like new 2015 Specialized Secteur as a backup\guest\kids bike, it supposed to be ~an aluminium version of the Roubaix. Unlike the newer roubaix, it does not have an active suspension(no future shock, pave seatpost), but it is supposed to be a more forgiving frame than my old allez, I'll give that a shot next time, i just wanted a few local shakeout riders first.

Surprised at how much better the shifting on 2015 Claris is over ~2011 105. Bigger jump between gears(8 vs 10 speed), but claris rear shift action is much lighter, does not miss, front shift action is almost not comparable, so so much lighter than my old 105. wow.

Root mitigation has started for the CLT in Piedmont, AL's area of responsibility (approx. 13 miles from MM9 to MM22). Good to see this issue is being corrected before severe injuries result.

What are some shuttle services for the trail? Would like to go one way. Any suggestions where to park overnight? Thank you!

Elevated Grounds Coffee Shop in Piedmont does have a shuttle bus:
Elevated Grounds
110 S Center Ave, Piedmont, AL 36272
(256) 792-9485

Any storm damage blocking CL/SC trails?

Rode Saturday, no issues

Hello,

I am planning on taking a few days and riding as much of the trail as possible, starting in Smyrna, and ending Anniston. I ride a tandem bike with my special needs son, who weighs 200 pounds. We are fine on long, steady climbs, but steep hills are impossible to ride up, because he isn't able to help on the pedals. If it isn't too long of a climb, he will get off and walk with me while I push the bike. Looking at the elevation profile, it seems that the steepest climbs are about 5 miles past Rambo and then another one maybe 10 miles past Rockmart heading west. I know sometimes things in real life are a little different than on paper. I'm planning on having someone pick us up drive around the steepest parts and drop us off at a trailhead on the other side. I would like to keep the parts that we skip to a minimum. I would be interested in any ideas about where the steepest parts are and where we could get picked up and dropped off to avoid them. Thanks!

Stepest climb: Mt. Trashmore, almost a mile +, of 6-8%.
Recomend pick up at Grady Road P.Lot about MP# 46.5
Drop off: Cedar town Depot P.Lot about MP# 51.7.

Click on the map (above set the MP# to start in Smyrna at "0".
You can zoom in to these locations and see more features around them.

The only other chalanging spots are the 278 rollers jest west of Rockmart.

Good Luck.

Where can I roll out a sleeping bag without getting harrased by police or locals

Camping comments:
Georgia:
West of Dallas past McPherson Parking Lot, you enter Paulding Forest WMA. Folks camp near MP# 29-30 down off the trail to Racoon Creek.
East of Rockmart is a pay camping area called "The Rock" (MP# 34-35).
West of Rockmart MP# 45-46 is Camp Comet.
In Alabama:
West of Borden Springs you enter Pinhot Wilderness Area MP# 67-70.
West of Piedmont MP# 78-79 the City of Piedmont has a park with a spring.
At the end of the Trail in Anniston there is another private campground, M. Taylor Park

I was thinking about riding from Anniston to Smyrna. Is there any shuttle service(like ones on the Katy Trail or AT) that could get me back to my car in Anniston?

I am willing to assist you and maybe ride a portion.
You can contact me at bcoyle@paulding.gov.
Let me know some projected dates so I can mark my calendar,

Elevated Grounds Cafe in Piedmont has a shuttle. Brendan will help you. He was charging $1.50/mile and I don't know his current price. He shuttled us from Piedmont to Hiram where we started our ride. Our cars were parked in the Elevated Grounds Cafe parking lot for the duration. The food at the cafe is delicious, too, by the way. Please give them your business. They are next to the Chief Ladiga Trail in Piedmont.

Brandon from Elevated Grounds Cafe in Piedmont has a shuttle service. He's reliable and friendly. We parked our cars in their lot for the duration of our trip. He took us from Piedmont to Hiram, GA. 256-294-5349. The food at the cafe is delicious. We ate breakfast and lunch several times.

I’m a grandmother of 7 and 10 yr olds. They love to ride, and I’ve got a trike. I’d like to do a day outing with them. I know they’d enjoy the “sights” and nature. Not so interested in residential areas. Suggestions on trailhead and direction. We’d be doing u-turn to return to car. Probably picnic along the way. TIA

Park at Coots Lake Road, head east. It's around 2.5 miles to the Brushey Mountain tunnel, 10 miles to Pumpkinvine Creek bridge. Both are highlights of the trail, and in general this, IMHO, is one of the best sections of the entire trail, and i'll put it up against any other paved trail around the eastern seaboard. 10 miles, no road crossings, beautiful piedmont woods. The trail cuts through the hill tops and is filled over the valleys.

If a 20 miles out and back is too much, the Pumpkinvine Creek trestle is .6 miles west of the Rambo Road Parking

where is the safest trailhead parking?

I park at the Cedartown Welcome Center\Train depot.

It's right along the silver comet just off of main street.

Has cameras(have no idea if they are on\monitored) and just in general it seems to be a busy spot.

It's really really noisy, cars with very loud exhausts\music, constant fireworks...I don't enjoy that at all, but it feels safe since it always seems busy and not isolated like many of the other Silver Comet Parking spots. Pretty good taco truck just on the other side of main street.

A big part of the reason I park there is I like to do 100 miles, and to me, Cedartown is pretty much right in the middle of the best(and worst trash hill) of the trail(IMHO).

It's 24 miles west to Piedmont AL, and it's a great section, especially around the AL|GA line where the trail passes through the northern section of the Talladega National Forest near Drugger Mountain.

To the East, around 25 miles through the Brushey Mountain Tunnel section. Beautiful on railroad grade section of the trail, 7 mile run with no road crossings, cutting across the piedmont forests. It's really nice. Also, some of the sections east of Cedartown are my least favorite..ticky tacky off grade sections with steep hills and some sharp blind corners...but well worth it to get to the Brushey Mountain Section.

Trail surface is rough, on the GA side it's rough buzzy concrete, on the AL side it's asphalt, but some really rough sections due to tree root damage. I'm running 28mm tires on my road bike around 65 psi and that takes the edge off, but I wish they would re-pave the whole thing with some fresh smooth asphalt.

What are the hour's of operation and days it's open

I am interested in riding from Anniston to Smyrna. Is there some pretty safe parking in Anniston to leave my car for a couple of days?

City Heart, aka Country Hearth, is not booking through booking sites anymore, which should have been the first red flag. We called them directly and got a room. Do yourself a favor and find an Airbnb. Lodging is tight in Piedmont but this is one of the worst places I have ever stayed in my life, and I have stayed at a lot of discount hotels.

My wife and I live in Smyrna and run on the trail several times a month. My wife was running on Saturday around 1:15 when she was struck by a cyclist from behind and ran over. She was about a mile west of your shop.
She never heard or saw the rider before impact. She was thrown face first on the trail and has several injuries. She has stitches above her eye and her face, ride shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle all are bruised and swollen. She will be out of work for several days.
The cyclist ended up running over her legs and skidded down the trail. He was a white male, wearing cycling apparel including a helmet. The witness stated that he was traveling over 20 miles an hour when she was hit.
Several people saw the incident and several stopped to help. Several witnesses said his face had some scratches from the fall. He wouldn’t share personal information and acted irritated that it had happened. He didn’t hang around after the incident. A gentleman helped my wife walk about a mile to the Floyd road parking lot where I rushed her to ER.
I’m trying to locate the cyclist that caused the incident. Can you recommend a couple of Bike Facebook pages or forums that I can post this information.
Feel free to share or post in your shop. My number is 7702940714.

This is not related to the above comment about the hit and run, but I wanted to throw some love out to Smyrna Bicycles.

At the end of our 2- day ride and just before setting off for our next destination, we noticed one of my husband’s spokes was broken and his wheel was wobbling. We called Smyrna at 5:00 (they close at 6) and they were able to get the bike in and fix the spoke for a reasonable price. Thanks for the friendly and efficient service!

Is there a good parking place near the SC trail
for me to leave my car ?

Yes, nice parking lot with a visitor's center.

My wife and I want to do spend three days doing the full trail. Is overnight parking allowed at Concord Road Trailhead?

The Cobb County web site says No overnight parking.
Most folks leave their cars at the Publix Shopping Center at -1.5 miles up hill from Mavel Parking lot (MP 0).

Another alternative near MP 21 Tara Drummond P Lot, across the four lane (US278) on a bike trail to the Paulding County Government Complex you can overnight there, lighted Parking lot, with PC Sheriff patrols, and Park facility (bathroom).

I would not recommend renting or buying from Comet Trail Cycles under any circumstances. Their owner, Jeph, lied and deceived my friend and I, and if for not our outright anger, would have left us stranded 45+ miles away on two defective bikes.

We rented two long distance endurance road bikes from Comet Trail Cycles with the intent of doing a 110 mile ride on the Silver Comet Trail. Within 40 miles we had our first flat. Over the course of the next 10 miles, we would have 6 total flat tires occurring on all 4 of our tires. We received help checking and reinstalling inner tubes from a handful of experienced bikers on the trail, yet every time we found ourselves with another flat. The utility kits the bikes came with had one inner tube in each, and minimal supplies to repair a flat. We had already run out of the provided inner tubes and C02 canisters to inflate them. So, after flat tire 2 out of 6, we went to a nearby Walmart to buy more inner tubes, a hand pump, more C02 canisters, and lights to put on the bikes as we now knew we'd be biking back in the darkness.

After popping all the replacement inner tubes we had bought from Walmart we knew this was not simply bad luck, but something was wrong with the bikes, so we called Comet Trail Cycles for help, now being stranded 45 miles away. Originally the store wasn't going to do anything to help us and wanted to leave us deserted on the trail. They eventually gave us the phone number of a random individual who they said might be willing to pick us up. He didn't answer our calls or texts. After getting more and more upset and calling the store back, eventually the store owner, Jeph, agreed to come pick us and the defective bikes up.

Upon returning back to the store, Jeph apologized and admitted there was obviously something going on with the bikes. We told him we had spent just shy of $100 buying replacement tools and parts at Walmart and he kindly offered to pay us $60 for our hassle. Two days later I see my credit card had been charged for $60, not refunded $60. When I called Jeph back to ask him to fix this mistake, he told me that he actually intended to charge me, and that getting flat tires is just part of cycling. So, not only does Comet Trail Cycles rent defective bikes, but they also will lie to you.

If you rent from Comet Trail Cycles, just know that Jeph, the store owner, believes that getting 6 flat tires over the course of 55 miles is normal biking practice, and you might find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere on defective bikes.

I am riding the Silver Comet for my first time. I rode Smyrna to Rambo and felt safe. I would prefer not to ride single I usually do. I am 76, female and ride an ebike. I would appreciate your thoughts on the safety of the trail.

I have rode many times alone and have never had any encounters with trouble. You just road through the most urban part of the trail. The remaining is mostly Rual with a few towns. Save you battery for Mt Trashmore between Rockmart and Cedartown.
Good Luck

I am 70 and going to be doing the SC trail this spring. I always travel alone. I have an EBike and van and am hoping there are safe places to park along the way.I usually do 30-50 miles out and back each day. Any suggestions for places to park or camp are appreciated.

There are many places to park and camp.
Some are camping areas are private. There are multiple parking areas all along the trail. Zoom in on the map above, it picks up more detail as you zoom in. There is a B&B between Rockmart and Cedartown. Motels in most towns are not far from the trail. A lot of the trail runs through State Park areas. West of Dallas you are in Paulding Forest WMA and free camping is allowed. East of Rockmart is a pay camp called The Rock. West of Rockmart is Camp Comet, free, near Don Williams Trail Head Parking. The B&B is also off this trail head.
Make sure your battery is charge up for the Rockmart to Cedartown ride over Mt. Trashmore as it has and 8-10% grade climb.

Into Alabama, east of Bordon Springs parking lot, you enter Pinhot Wilderness area and free camping is allowed. City of Piedmont allows free camping at their Sports Complex Park on the west side of town. Last camp (pay) is at the end in Anniston. Michael Tucker Park.

I am willing to assist you and maybe ride a portion.
You can contact me at bcoyle@paulding.gov.
Let me know some projected dates so I can mark my calender,

I am from the Atlanta area and did my very first 5K time trial race at the FL Games in December. I am having a lot of trouble finding 5K races on the Internet for 2024. Races on the Internet are not initially labeled for the distance. I am new to racing, so can anyone narrow this down for me? I am interested in all levels of racing- local, regional, and state. I am interested in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina. I see a lot of longer distance races, but in mainly interested in 5K and maybe 10K- for a variety of reasons including the fact that my back can only stay on the arrow bar position for so long.
My email is Farley.Youman@gmail.com Thank you.

Is this a good trail for a road bike?

Yes, paved with concrete and asphalt.
Some of the asphalt sections are rooty / bumpy, slow down.

I have ridden the entire thing but in two separate trips. I am wondering if anyone provides a shuttle service. Doesn't matter which end I start and finish at. I saw where there use to be a Shuttle in Anniston but apparently, they are no longer around.

Willing to provide assistance.
I am not a service, just a fellow rider.
You can contact me at: bcoyle@paulding.gov

Thank you. When I get a date figured out I will let you know more. Probably March or April.

We rode the trail from Smyrna to Anniston on March 12 and 13, 2023. It's a great ride, one of the nicest rail trails in the US! We left our car in Smyrna and decided to try to find a shuttle back from Anniston. We had read about possible shuttle services in Piedmont and Powder Springs. The PS service was not available, but we got a winner in the Elevated Grounds Cafe in Piedmont. They arranged a ride for the two of us and our bikes with only one day notice! We are grateful!!

Hello! Four of us are hoping to ride from Dallas to Anniston starting on April 23rd but we have not yet found a way to get back to our vehicle on Wed April 26th. Any suggestions?

Jim & Patty,
I would be very interested to know where you left your
vehicle in Smyrna.

A friend and I are planning to ride from Smyrna to Anniston in April 2024. Where can we leave our cars in Smyrna for 3-4 days? We'll try the Elevated Grounds Cafe for a shuttle back from Anniston to retrieve our cars.

Most riders leave their cars at the Publix Shopping Center.
Generally inform the manager of Publix.

I am considering a spring ride on these two trails. I have read there is at least one high tressell and am wondering if there is a way to avoid it without adding too many miles.

I am one of those people with a fear of heights and am used to detouring to avoid them.

Thanks

Just want to say that I'm also not all that thrilled with heights.

However, the pumpkinvine creek trestle that you are referring to is pretty wide and is enclosed by a pretty tall 5 rail wooden fence, it's not a problem for me, at all, even though I really do hate heights, this one feels secure, it's pretty easy to ride across and not even look over the edge, it's about 120 feet tall, but there are a lot of trees on the north side that kindof make it hard to see the actual creek below.

Google pumpkinvine creek trestle, lots of pictures.

Here is a link to it on google maps, i really don't see an easy way around it:
https://www.google.com/maps/search/pumpkinvine+creek/@33.9135875,-84.8834538,16.97z/data=!5m1!1e3?entry=ttu

Does anyone know if there is overnight parking allowed at the Smyrna trailhead?

The Cobb County web site says no overnight parking.
Others have used the Publix Shopping center P Lot up the hill from the Mavell P Lot.