With the change back to Standard Time, and days getting shorter, travel time on out of town trips has to be kept to a minimum. North of Gainesville, about an hours drive from I-285, Lake Russell State Park offers a perfect fall getaway. During the off-season, the park facilities are closed, but hikers still have access to the trails.

The Lake Russell Trail follows the shoreline of the 100 acre mountain lake, offering great views of of the scenery for you, and easy access to the water for your dog. This is an easy and enjoyable hike that is perfect for the whole family.

The trail begins at the parking area at the Nancy Town Lake dam. This is a small lake a short distance upstream from Lake Russell. A series of steps lead to a wooden bridge which crosses the stream below the dam and joins the trail on the other side. The trail follows the stream for about ¼ mile to Lake Russell, then follows the shoreline for the next 2½ miles.

Lake Russell is long and narrow, with mountains rising in the background on all sides. The trail is level for the most part, rising and falling now and then when the shoreline does so, and winding around the occasional cove along the way. This trail is long and not heavily used, so you are unlikely to encounter large numbers of people. On a recent weekend in October, we only saw four other groups on the trail.

After curving around a large cove, the trail moves away from the lake and into the woods for about ¼ mile, then crosses the dam at the lower end of the lake. After crossing the dam, the trail turns left and descends to a bridge which crosses the stream below the dam. Past this point, the trail becomes a bore. It follows a dirt road away from the lake to a paved park road which you must walk along for two miles to complete the loop. It is much more relaxing to turn around and go back the way you came. Round trip distance is about five miles.

To get to Lake Russell, take I-85 north to I-985, which becomes GA 365 north of Gainesville. Go 49 miles on this road, just past Cornelia, to GA 197. Mile marker 49 is at the exit. Turn right for about 3 miles until the road ends at Dicks Hill Parkway. Go right for half a mile, then turn left on Lake Russell Road. There is a big park sign here. Go two miles to the parking area.