Paynes Creek is a 6.4 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Hartwell, Georgia that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
April 11, 2021Nice trail, a few muddy spots but mostly drive and smooth. Good uphill and downhill. Well marked.
March 21, 2021Well maintained trail. Watch out for bikers though. They sneak up on ya.
March 21, 2021When hiking here, watch out for the bikes. This is a bike trail. Enjoyed hiking this trail. Will go again.
February 23, 2021February 17, 2021February 17, 2021Loved the trail! Cant wait till the green comes back in the forest.
January 18, 2021January 17, 2021January 10, 2021Great trail!
December 13, 2020Trail is easy to follow but very narrow in places and with lots of mountain bikers on the trail it can be tough to get out of their way in certain spots. I would not recommend wearing ear buds or head phones on this trail as I had mountain bikes come up pretty fast from in front and behind. You need to be able to hear them coming to avoid an accident. A decent trail all the same. But trail does have lots of ankle breaking roots lol be careful where you step.
November 24, 2020Easy trail. Lots of bikes
November 16, 2020November 7, 2020October 20, 2020Pretty fall colors!
October 18, 2020would be fun to take my son mountain biking here.
October 4, 2020its closer to 7.5 miles
October 1, 2020September 26, 2020September 19, 2020August 5, 2020July 26, 2020Cruisy, flowy and quite a bit of fun!
May 31, 2020February 17, 2020My collegiate cross country team and I run this trail most Saturday mornings. It is a very fun run! However, there are many roots and rocks exposed on the trail. We never leave without someone beat up a little. Still we choose to run that trail because it’s a good mix up from our other runs during the week. Nice views, super pretty in the mornings.
February 16, 2020There were 5 of us hiking. First hour was in a light rain but it stopped and cleared out. Great trail! Nice and wide, winding through the woods and most of it was next to Lake Hartwell. Only a few mountain bikers were out and passed us, but it was not a problem because you hike in the opposite direction so you see them coming. Definitely will be going back.
February 14, 2020Hiked this one on 14FEB with my wife. Nice trail, pretty easy, we had to detour in only one spot a little because of high water level on the reservoir after all the rain of late. I agree with other reviewers, it seems longer than 6 miles. My phone said closer to 7, and we cut the corner on the upper-right finger.
December 1, 2019bike & hike trail. winter views of the lake. kid & dog friendly.
October 8, 2019Nice trail, lots of roots so bring a full suspension bike.
September 18, 2019Great trail, but much longer than the 6 miles that it says it is. I tracked my distance using the MapMyRun app and it said it tracked it at 9.44 miles! I did the entire trail system for Paynes Creek and didn't vear at all.
July 15, 2019A day in the middle of July below 90 degrees and only a 10% chance of rain? Grab your gear, Willow, we’re going hiking! We really enjoyed this hike but were glad to see our car again at the end. It’s a good conditioning hike with lots of elevation changes. The trail is in reasonably good condition and I had no trouble navigating though I did check the app a few times just to be sure. The majority of the traffic seems to be mountain bikes, but not enough to make hiking with a dog awkward. My main annoyance was with the personal watercraft buzzing around on the lake, but that’s just a pet peeve of mine along with leaf blowers. I’m sure we’ll be back here again.
April 8, 2019The trail was beautiful but there are no signs. I ended up getting lost on the trail and had to call for help after about 5 miles.. couldn’t locate my car at all. I would suggest dropping a pin at your car location and taking a picture of a map. Make sure you give yourself ample time.. also, spider webs so bring a stick. Nice trail though
