Getting There
Location Detail
While the Lower Overlook parking lot is technically the trailhead there are several other parking lots that allow you to hop onto the trail just in case the main parking lot is full. The other nearby parking lots include Lower Pool East which is at the base of the dam on Power House Road and the Buford Dam Beach on Buford Dam Park road. Both of which have a ton of additional parking.
What to Expect
Trail Details
At the onset, please look at the trail map before you hit this trail. While this is one of my favorite trails I did have to go a few times before getting familiar enough with it to comfortably take other people on tour. The reason I bring this up first is that there is a distinct lack of trail markings, the ones that are there are not very helpfully placed.
I’ve had to help several people get back on track because they got lost. This usually happens at the Buford Dam Beach parking lot and past the Buford Dam Park Fishing Pier parking lot. Depending on which direction you are coming from at the beach parking lot look for a short staircase at the corner of the parking lot, that will indicate the trail. At the fishing pier, parking lot stay on the sidewalk that wraps along the edge of the lot, that will connect to either side of the trail.