The nature trail at Milton City Park and Preserve will close to the public starting Monday, November 24 – a necessary, and temporary, step so that it can open bigger and better than ever in about a month. 

Crews have begun mobilizing in passive greenspace parts of that Dinsmore Road property to plant numerous trees, grasses, shrubs, perennials, and wildflowers along both the existing trail as well as that trail’s extension that has been in the works for months. They, as well as their vehicles and other equipment, should be out in force over the next seven-or-so weeks to make that happen. 

Closing the trail allows them to work more safely and efficiently, so the work can be finished as expeditiously as possible. Doing so should also protect pedestrians by keeping them out of an active worksite (similar to a roadway project), with significant construction traffic – including some heavy equipment – involved in the landscaping.

This is happening now since major components of “Phase II” of this passive park project have been compete. Plantings like these are generally finishing touches, in this case after particularly heavy equipment was already used to install stormwater infrastructure, erect boardwalks, and do other things on that scale. While the workers are out there, the City also saw this as a good opportunity to add vegetative upgrades to the previously open trail (that was built as part of “Phase I.”) Another factor is that now is a prime time in North Georgia to plant most trees, shrubs, or flowers so they can take root before temperatures reheat in the spring.

These will be methodically put in the ground along the existing and extended trail in the last part of November, through December, and potentially into mid-January. While weather and other factors could impact the timeline, the hope is that the entire trail – including the new segments – will be open for walkers and runners to use by the end of this year.

In the meantime, there remain plenty of other picturesque natural places that people can walk over the holidays. In Milton alone these include Birmingham Park (200-plus acres accessible at 750 Hickory Flat Road), Providence Park (42 acres at 13440 Providence Park Drive), Bell Memorial Park (at 15245 Bell Park Drive, with a loop trail around the park), and Lakhapani Preserve (106 acres at 990 Lackey Road). 

Even after the Milton City Park and Preserve trail reopens, people may notice workers out in the “Phase II” area early into 2026. They’ll be there to go through “punch list” items that will include a walk-through with Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials to ensure compliance with requirements of a State grant that helped fund this project.