Watsons Mill Bridge State Park

Watsons Mill Bridge State Park is one of those hidden gems you need if you want to step back in time.  Tucked away in the Georgia farm country about 70 miles east of Atlanta near Athens, Georgia.  It provides a respite from the everyday grind.  The 1100-acre park makes you feel like you could be somewhere in the mountains.  Around the park its small farms in slightly rolling hills.  The one-stoplight town of Commer 3 miles from the park.   I love the slow-paced feel of this place.  The zero commercialism of this place makes for a great getaway.  

The mill owner L. Frank Edwards of Athens donated Watson's Mills Bridge to the state of Georgia in 1970. he also built a cotton mill 12 miles away in Crawford.  The park is centered around the 236-foot covered bridge, the longest in Georgia.  Built in 1885 by W. W. King and his father, a former slave Horace King who started his own bridge-building company for the sum of $3,228.00.    The bridge straddles two counties as the county line officially runs down the middle of the South Fork of the Broad River.

Old Mill Power Staton Ruin

The established trails and American Volkssport Association walk there is our reason for visiting.  They offer a 6 and 11-kilometer walk.  This walk takes you over the bridge past the old powerhouse ruins that ran the Mill.  Once you cross the bridge, you complete a 2 1/2-mile loop that gives you a good picture of the park's topography.  The major attraction here is the covered bridge and powerhouse ruins, along with the canal built from the bridge to the powerhouse.

We camped in the campground and then used Watson Mills as a base camp to complete other walks in the area.  There are some good ones.  The City of Athens, Ocoee Nature Trail Near Athens, Watkinsville, and we even made it to the Anderson, South Carolina Historic walk.  This trip is the start of trying to complete 100 American Volkssport Association walks in 1 year.  This will make us a member of their Centurion Club.  The last week gave us a good start.