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chattahoochee recreation area working on trail plan By Amy Wenk Under a new leader, one of the country’s most visited national parks is working on a plan to revamp its trail system. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) spans 48 miles along the Chattahoochee and includes 15 land units. In 2020, it saw 3.5 million visitors, making it the country’s 16th most visited national park. It also contains about 20% of metro Atlanta’s greenspace and is home to hundreds of bird species. “It is beloved by many,” said Sandy Springs resident Ann Honious, who in August 2021 was named superintendent of the CRNRA, which has its park headquarters in Sandy Springs. “This is a special place in the entire country.” Originally from Portland, Oregon, Honious came to
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A scene from the Chattahoochee River. (Special/Tom Wilson)
CRNRA after serving as the deputy superintendent at the National Capital Parks – East, a series of parks in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. She also previously worked at Gateway
FEBRUARY 2022 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com
Arch National Park in Missouri, where she oversaw a $380 million rehabilitation project. Now, she will help lead CRNRA through its first comprehensive trails
Ann Honious. (Special/Melissa Lyttle)
management plan, which will provide direction for improving trail conditions within the park’s more than 5,200 acres (or about 7,000 acres if you count submerged areas). “I see taking this great, beloved park and elevating it for the future,” Honious said. “That is through strategic planning for projects, dealing with deferred maintenance, as well as creating awareness so that the community supports and appreciates what they have.” Today, there are about 64 miles of trails that run through the park. Most are legacy social trails established before President Jimmy Carter signed the national park into law in 1978. CRNRA has a long, interesting history. It was the culmination of years of advocacy work by a group that called themselves the River Rats. “In the 1970s, they were watching the development starting to occur in this area and worked very hard to protect the river and the land along its sides,” Honious said. But the park has yet to have a cohesive trail plan. As a result, the myriad of user-created social trails lacks connectivity and is prone to erosion, among other issues. Now, the hope is to create a better experience and grow
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