Laurel Ridge Trail Map and Review, Buford Dam on Lake Lanier

Laurel Ridge Trail loops through the Army Corps of Engineers parks at the south end of Lake Lanier, right beside Buford Dam. It has a bit of everything: the lakeshore and a beach, woods full of ferns, a stream valley, the Chattahoochee where it leaves the dam, and the dam itself, with a few goats keeping the grass down on its face.

It is one of my favorite trails, and it is also one where I have had to help more than one group find their way. The markings are mixed, the loop runs through parking lots and picnic areas where the path is easy to lose, and one branch has been cut off by a fallen tree for years. This page shows where those spots are.

I first reviewed this trail here in August 2021, and this page replaces that review. I walked the loop again on October 9, 2026, clockwise from Lower Overlook, so the map and the numbers below come from that recording.

Getting There

Location Detail

The trailhead is the Lower Overlook lot, on the lake side of Buford Dam just east of the dam itself, off Buford Dam Road. Parking there is free. Despite the name, Upper Overlook is behind a gate with a Restricted sign and is not open to the public, so this is the lot. The trail leaves from the end of the lot between two stone pillars with a No Bicycles sign. You can also join the loop from the lots in Buford Dam Park, at the beach and the fishing pier, or from Lower Pool at the foot of the dam, but Buford Dam Park is one of the Corps' day-use parks and charges a fee. I walk it clockwise, so the lake comes first and the dam last.

Free at Lower Overlook; day-use fee in Buford Dam Park
Lower Overlook is posted open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Parking: At Lower Overlook, the free lot at the trailhead, 33 spaces, 1 of them accessible (my own count, October 2026)
Overflow: the lots in Buford Dam Park at the beach and the fishing pier, and Lower Pool at the foot of the dam, all on the loop; Buford Dam Park charges a day-use fee, and its overflow lot by the beach is often closed
Surface: paved
A permanent restroom building at Lower Overlook.
Restrooms at the beach in Buford Dam Park, but they are not always open, depending on when you go.
Picnic tables and grills in concrete bunkers at Lower Overlook, with an overlook over the lake.
Benches and grills every 20 feet or so around the little peninsula by the beach.
Three large picnic shelters with big grills at the hilltop lot past the fishing pier.
A fishing dock at the fishing pier lot and a small observation deck on the water just past the long bridge.
Two wooden porch swings beside the trail along the lake, before the beach.

Open the lot in Google Maps. The pin is where the walk on the map began.

Map of the Laurel Ridge Trail as I walked it, cut from the recording of October 9, 2026 — The walk, cut from my recording of October 9, 2026, 4.79 mi. The green dot is where it began and closed; the blue is Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River, from OpenStreetMap. Left out of it: the side trip down to the observation deck, the side trip over the arch bridge to see the powerhouse outlets and the walk up toward the powerhouse for a look at the goats on the dam, with contours every 20 ft. The markers are listed below; their positions are from OpenStreetMap.

What to Expect

Trail Details

The trail changes a lot over one loop. It starts out nice and wide, easily two or three people side by side, through the woods above the lake. After the first road crossing it gets a little more technical, with exposed roots and bare granite that is slippery when wet. Around the beach it turns into the concrete paths of the park, and that is where it is easiest to lose. The second half is a narrow, rocky path through a power easement, a busy road, and a quick drop down a stream valley with a few small bridges to the Chattahoochee below the dam. The last stretch crosses the river on a new bridge, passes the dam and climbs the stairs beside it back up to the road. The markers are brown posts with a hiker on them, and they are mixed: some stretches are well marked and some have nothing. There are no painted blazes to follow, as there are at Stone Mountain. I saw two paint marks on trees the whole way round, and they did not look official.

Not long after the start, a short branch goes off to the left into the lushest part of the trail, all ferns, like the forest moon of Endor. The little bridge into it was taken out by a fallen tree many years ago and has never been rebuilt, so that section is all but abandoned unless you want to jump the gap, which can be treacherous. The way around is a makeshift path into a power easement and then along the road to where the branch used to come out. That end has a Restricted Area sign, and you walk past the automatic gate to a crosswalk, where the proper trail picks up again on the other side.

The place most people get lost is the beach. The path turns to concrete as you come down to the level of the lake, and then it runs out into a field that usually serves as a soccer field. Keep walking ahead along the shoreline, around the little peninsula lined with benches and grills, and walk behind the basketball court and the volleyball court; the trail goes downhill to the left from there. It is not well marked through here, so keep an eye out.

At the fishing pier lot, go straight across the lot and you will find the same markers on the other side. Past the long bridge there is a split: the trail goes right, and straight on, down the hill and to the left, is a small observation deck out over the water. At the hilltop lot with the three big picnic shelters there are no markers until you are back on the trail, so walk the edge of the lot to find it.

The end is the best part, which is why I walk it clockwise. The trail follows the stream down to the Chattahoochee where it leaves the dam and stays well above the water. The long bridge across the river has finally been rebuilt, and it is brand new. A little further on, an arched footbridge crosses the channel from the powerhouse, and from the far side you can look up it to the outlets where the water is released. Goats keep the grass down on the face of the dam, since it is too steep to mow. They are inside the restricted area around the dam, so you see them from a distance, and that morning a big flock of geese was on the dam too. Then it is the stairs beside the dam, 65 steps by my count, and the rest of the climb back up to the road without them.

The Numbers

Distance: 4.79 mi (7.71 km), as I walked it on October 9, 2026
Elevation change: 251 ft from the lowest point to the highest, 557 ft of climbing in all
Time to walk: about 95 min on the move, 106 min with stops

The Positives

Lake views along the first half, with a beach and an observation deck
The Chattahoochee below the dam, crossed on a new bridge
Buford Dam up close at the end, with goats keeping the grass down on its face
A good mix of easy and a little technical, with real elevation change
A stream valley with small bridges on the way down to the river
Free parking and a permanent restroom at the trailhead
Picnic tables, grills and shelters all along the park

The Negatives

The markings are mixed, and the trail is easy to lose around the beach and the parking lots
The bridge into the ferny branch is out, so the trail detours through a power easement and along the road
Two narrow paths under the power lines, overgrown in the lush seasons, where you should check for ticks year-round
Two crossings of a busy road where people speed, even with the speed humps
Small bridges that are not in the best shape, slippery when covered in leaves
Few restrooms, and the ones at the beach are not always open
The stairs beside the dam at the end, if you walk it clockwise

Elevation along the same walk, read from the USGS 3D Elevation Program grid (cells 10 by 12.1 m) rather than the watch, so every review's profile is drawn from the same ground. The walk climbs 557 ft in all, counting every rise of 10 ft or more on the grid.

Underfoot

On the Trail

What the trail itself is like, in the order the walk reaches it.

The trail leaving the lot between two stone pillars, a No Bicycles sign on a post between them — **October 9, 2026, 7:43 AM, mile 0.2.** The trailhead at Lower Overlook, between two stone pillars with a No Bicycles sign.

A wide dirt trail through tall pines and hardwoods — **October 9, 2026, 7:46 AM, mile 0.3.** The first stretch, wide enough for two or three side by side.

A small wooden footbridge crushed by a fallen tree, its railing broken over a gully — **October 9, 2026, 7:51 AM, mile 0.5.** The little bridge into the ferny branch, taken out by a fallen tree years ago and never rebuilt.

A faint footpath across the mowed grass of a power easement under the lines — **October 9, 2026, 7:52 AM, mile 0.6.** The way around it, a makeshift path into the power easement.

A white wooden barrier across an old path with a red Restricted Area Keep Out sign — **October 9, 2026, 7:55 AM, mile 0.7.** Where the cut-off branch comes out, a Restricted Area sign by the automatic gate.

A painted crosswalk across a two-lane road, the trail going on into the woods on the far side — **October 9, 2026, 7:55 AM, mile 0.7.** The crosswalk where the proper trail picks up again on the other side.

Bare granite and exposed roots on the trail through pine woods — **October 9, 2026, 7:57 AM, mile 0.8.** Past the road it gets more technical, with roots and bare granite that is slippery when wet.

A trail post with a hiker sign and a No Bicycles sign at the edge of a paved parking lot — **October 9, 2026, 8:07 AM, mile 1.3.** The trail post at the overflow lot by the beach, often closed, where you can also join the loop.

A curving concrete path past a bench under the pines, the beach and the lake behind — **October 9, 2026, 8:10 AM, mile 1.4.** Down at the level of the lake the path turns to concrete. This is where most people lose it.

A trail post with a hiker sign and a No Bicycles sign where the path leaves the lot, the lake below through the trees — **October 9, 2026, 8:19 AM, mile 1.9.** At the fishing pier lot, go straight across and the posts pick up again on the other side.

A long wooden bridge with railings running along the shore above bare rock and low water — **October 9, 2026, 8:21 AM, mile 2.0.** The long bridge along the shore. With the lake this low it stands over bare ground.

A brown trail post with signs for hikers, no dogs and an arrow pointing left, at the edge of a clearing — **October 9, 2026, 8:29 AM, mile 2.2.** The first post past the picnic shelters, with hikers, no dogs and the arrow back onto the trail.

A narrow red dirt path through tall grass and brush under power lines — **October 9, 2026, 8:37 AM, mile 2.6.** The narrow, rocky path under the power lines. Check for ticks after this one.

Where the trail meets a two-lane road beside a parking area and the Lanier Project Management Office sign — **October 9, 2026, 8:45 AM, mile 2.9.** The busy road crossing about halfway round.

A wooden footbridge with railings over a rocky stream bed in the woods — **October 9, 2026, 8:50 AM, mile 3.2.** One of the small bridges on the way down the stream valley.

A worn wooden footbridge covered in leaves, its railing weathered gray — **October 9, 2026, 8:56 AM, mile 3.4.** A worn bridge further down, slippery when it is covered in leaves.

A red Danger sign in the woods warning that the river below the dam can rise suddenly — **October 9, 2026, 8:59 AM, mile 3.5.** The Danger sign by the river. The water below the dam can rise fast when the Corps releases it.

A new steel truss footbridge crossing the Chattahoochee below the dam — **October 9, 2026, 9:05 AM, mile 3.8.** The new bridge across the Chattahoochee at the foot of the dam.

A steep metal staircase climbing the wooded bank beside the grassy face of the dam — **October 9, 2026, 9:23 AM, mile 4.1.** The stairs beside the dam, the last climb of the loop clockwise.

From the Trail

The Views

What I stop for on the way around, each from a morning in the log.

A concrete overlook at Lower Overlook with planters around two trees and Lake Lanier beyond the railing — **October 9, 2026, 7:39 AM, mile 0.0.** The overlook at Lower Overlook, a few steps from the lot.

The stone restroom building at Lower Overlook with its lights on in the early morning — **October 9, 2026, 7:41 AM, mile 0.1.** The permanent restroom building at Lower Overlook.

Lake Lanier through the trees from the trail, a sandy beach across a cove and the water low — **October 9, 2026, 8:04 AM, mile 1.1.** The first view of the lake from the trail, with a beach across the cove. The water was low that morning.

A picnic table and a grill on concrete pads beside a concrete path, the lake through the trees — **October 9, 2026, 8:13 AM, mile 1.6.** Benches and grills all the way around the little peninsula by the beach.

A small wooden observation deck with benches over the water, wooded shores across the lake — **October 9, 2026, 8:24 AM, mile 2.0.** The small observation deck, straight on and down the hill past the long bridge.

Three large picnic shelters with tables and a grill beside a paved path — **October 9, 2026, 8:26 AM, mile 2.1.** The three big picnic shelters at the hilltop lot.

The deck of the new bridge leading toward the grassy face of Buford Dam, the river below — **October 9, 2026, 9:05 AM, mile 3.8.** From the new bridge, the river runs toward the face of Buford Dam.

The green Chattahoochee below the dam between wooded banks, rocks lining the near bank — **October 9, 2026, 9:11 AM, mile 3.9.** The Chattahoochee below the dam, from the bank by the arched footbridge.

Three white goats standing in tall grass behind a wire fence on the dam — **October 9, 2026, 9:19 AM.** The goats that keep the grass down on the face of the dam, inside the fence of the restricted area.

A flock of Canada geese grazing on the steep grassy face of the dam below a fence — **October 9, 2026, 9:21 AM, mile 4.0.** Canada geese grazing on the face of the dam that morning.

Buford Dam Road running along the top of the dam, Lake Lanier on the right — **October 9, 2026, 9:31 AM, mile 4.4.** Buford Dam Road along the top of the dam, with the lake on the right.

In 360

Look Around

Three places on the walk in every direction, taken with a 360 camera on a stick. Tap one, then drag to look around, up and down included.

A 360 photograph from the small wooden observation deck over Lake Lanier, the railing around it, the rocky shore and the wooded points across the water — **October 9, 2026, 8:24 AM, mile 2.0.** The small observation deck out over the lake, straight on and down the hill past the long bridge.

A 360 photograph from a wooden footbridge over a rocky stream in the woods, the trail going on at both ends under tall green trees — **October 9, 2026, 8:57 AM, mile 3.5.** One of the small bridges over the stream on the way down to the river.

A 360 photograph from the new bridge over the Chattahoochee below Buford Dam, the river running between wooded banks and the grassy face of the dam beside it — **October 9, 2026, 9:06 AM, mile 3.8.** On the new bridge across the Chattahoochee at the foot of Buford Dam.

Virtual Tour

Laurel Ridge Trail in 3D

Laurel Ridge Trail in three dimensions: turn it, tilt it, zoom in, or follow the route along the ground.

534 KB on a computer, 159 KB on a phone. Needs WebGL2 and a script; nothing loads until the tap.

Terrain from USGS 3DEP lidar at 2 m, fetched October 9, 2026, drawn at 2x vertical scale with contours every 10 ft. The green line is the loop as the watch recorded it on October 9, 2026, 7:40 AM to 9:39 AM (4.79 mi, walked clockwise, less the side trips from 8:23 AM to 8:25 AM and 9:09 AM to 9:12 AM and 9:13 AM to 9:21 AM), draped on the ground and dotted where the ground hides it. The numbered pins are the review's 30 photographs, each where it was taken, by its own GPS or by the watch's track at its clock; following the route pauses at the 29 beside the route. Purple pins show the trail itself (19), orange ones the views from it (11). The markers show parking and restroom, as the review's map does; press one for what it is. Roads from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, fetched October 9, 2026) are drawn in white with their names on the view: Buford Dam Rd, Powerhouse Rd, Lanier Office Rd, Pannell Rd, Volunteer Village Rd, Island Ford Rd, Lower Pool Rd, Island Ford Rd NE, Bavarian Wood Pl and Pass Rd. Parking-lot lanes, driveways and private roads are left off. Lit from where the sun stood at 8:31 AM, when the loop reached its highest point: bearing 105°, 10° above the horizon.

From the Recording

By the Numbers

4.79 miDistanceby the watch, 7.71 km

95 minOn the Move106 min clock to clock with stops

557 ftClimbin all, by the USGS grid

251 ftLow to Highlowest point to highest

ClockwiseWay Roundthe way I walked it

One walk, the one on the map: my recording of October 9, 2026, from where it began to where it closed, leaving out the side trip down to the observation deck, the side trip over the arch bridge to see the powerhouse outlets and the walk up toward the powerhouse for a look at the goats on the dam. The distance is the watch's track; "on the move" counts the time walked at 1 km/h or faster, so standing still for a photograph does not count, and "clock to clock" keeps the stops. The climb is read from the USGS grid, counting every rise of 10 ft or more. These are one walk's numbers, not a median over the log.

Asked Often

Questions and Answers

How long is the Laurel Ridge Trail?

4.79 miles as I walked it on October 9, 2026, about 95 minutes of walking or 106 with stops.

How much climbing is there?

557 feet in all, counting every rise of 10 feet or more on the USGS elevation grid, and 251 feet between the lowest and highest points.

Where do you park for the Laurel Ridge Trail?

At Lower Overlook, the free lot at the trailhead: 33 spaces, 1 of them accessible. Overflow: the lots in Buford Dam Park at the beach and the fishing pier, and Lower Pool at the foot of the dam, all on the loop; Buford Dam Park charges a day-use fee, and its overflow lot by the beach is often closed.

Where do people get lost on Laurel Ridge Trail?

Mostly at the beach in Buford Dam Park, where the concrete path runs out into a field. Keep going ahead along the shoreline, around the little peninsula, behind the basketball and volleyball courts, and the trail goes downhill to the left. The other spots are the fishing pier lot (go straight across) and the hilltop lot with the three picnic shelters (walk the edge of the lot until the trail picks up).

Is Laurel Ridge Trail marked?

Partly. The markers are brown posts with a hiker on them, and some stretches have plenty while others, mostly through the park and its parking lots, have none. There are no painted blazes to follow.

Which way should I walk it?

Clockwise from Lower Overlook. Many people go counterclockwise to get the stairs by the dam over with at the start, but clockwise saves the dam for the end, which is the best part.

Is there a map of Laurel Ridge Trail?

The map on this page is my own walk of the loop, clockwise from Lower Overlook, drawn over the USGS contours, with the parking lots and restrooms marked.

Why is the walk on this page longer than the distance the Corps gives?

The way around the broken bridge, through the power easement and along the road, adds to it, and so does walking around the beach peninsula to pick the trail back up. The side trips to the observation deck and over the arch bridge are left out of the map.

Are there restrooms on Laurel Ridge Trail?

There is a permanent restroom building at Lower Overlook, where the trail starts. There are restrooms at the beach in Buford Dam Park too, but they are not always open.

Is it safe near the river?

On the trail, yes. The Corps releases water from the dam and the river can rise fast, so stay off the bank, and if you hear the horn, get away from the water.

Can I bring my dog?

Not on the whole loop. The signs are inconsistent and some parts of the trail allow dogs, but the trail post by the hilltop picnic shelters in Buford Dam Park shows no dogs, and the Corps' listing for the park says pets are not allowed there. The loop runs through Buford Dam Park.

Can I ride a bike on Laurel Ridge Trail?

No. There are No Bicycles signs at the trailhead and on the trail posts.

Before You Go

A Word on the Rules

The river below the dam can rise fast. The Corps releases water from the dam, and the sign by the river says the water is subject to sudden rise and turbulence, that you should head for shore when the horn sounds, and that life jackets must be worn on the river from Buford Dam to the Georgia Highway 20 bridge. For river safety information it says to tune to 1610 AM. The trail stays well above the water, so as long as you are on it and not down on the bank, you are fine.

No bicycles. The trailhead and the trail posts say so.

Dogs are not consistent along the loop. Some parts of the trail are signed as allowing them, but the trail post by the hilltop picnic shelters in Buford Dam Park shows no dogs, and the Corps' listing for the park says pets are not allowed there. The loop runs through Buford Dam Park, so a full loop takes a dog through it.

How This Page Was Made

The Record

The words and the lists are mine. The numbers are not typed: the distance, the time and the climb are measured from my recording of October 9, 2026, cut from where the walk began to where it closed, and the elevation comes from the USGS grid, not the watch. Each photograph is from a morning in the log, placed by its own GPS or by the watch's track at the moment it was taken, as the methods page describes.

Sources

Buford Dam Park, Recreation.gov (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) (the park's beach, courts and restrooms, its day-use fee and its rule on pets)
The trail post by the hilltop picnic shelters, with no dogs on it (photographed on my walk, October 9, 2026)
The Danger sign by the river below the dam (photographed on my walk, October 9, 2026)
The No Bicycles signs at the trailhead and on the trail posts (photographed on my walk, October 9, 2026)
Buford Dam, way 1012573615, and the lots and restrooms around it, OpenStreetMap contributors (the parking lots and restrooms marked on the map, under the Open Database License)
3D Elevation Program, U.S. Geological Survey (the elevation grid under the map and the profile)

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