COBB & PAULDING COUNTIES, GEORGIA
| RIDE TYPE Road | DISTANCE 35 to 55 Miles | ASCENT 2400 to 3700 Feet |
| COURSE Loops | TERRAIN Rolling, Hills | SETTING Suburban, Rural |
Northwest Georgia’s East Paulding and West Cobb counties are certainly more crowded than rural settings further away but the riding can be stellar. Three County Line routes are based on two decades experience riding the area’s roads and provide alternatives to driving an hour or more to the ride start or staring at a screen in the basement.
SoutheastCyclingRoutes.com is headquartered on the West side of Cobb County, Georgia, not five minutes by bike from the Cobb/Paulding border. The 37, 44 and 53 mile County Line routes are the result of almost twenty years riding in the area and some of these roads have been ridden hundreds of times.
Each of the County Line routes straddles the Cobb/Paulding border in one way or another. Maps show them started at Brookstone Village in Acworth but they can be started anywhere convenient. They can be used as is or combined or shortened in any way you see fit. Just keep in mind the following tips if planning your own personalized version.
- The ebb and flow of traffic is generally toward Atlanta (toward the south and east) in the morning and away from Atlanta (toward the north and west) in the evening. If riding during rush hour, try to avoid these directions when traffic is at its peak. This may mean reversing the direction of a loop or starting a little later or earlier to avoid certain roads at a certain times.
- Avoid schools on weekday mornings and afternoons to the extent that it is possible. Inattentive and inexperienced teen drivers are particularly problematic around high schools and these should be avoided in the morning and during afternoon dismissal.
As a final word of encouragement, modern LED lights have revolutionized the way many cyclists ride. Many roads on the County Line routes are all but deserted after 9:00 PM and with proper lighting, riding on empty roads is a treat. There is something special about riding on a calm summer night, especially in June when honeysuckle and ligustrum perfume the air.
Take the lane when you need it. Give it back when you are done.
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- Descending Brooks Rackley Rd from East Paulding Dr to Holland Rd will test your bike handling skills.
- See if you can KOM the Strava segment on the long descent northbound on Mt Tabor Church Rd.
- Double Branches AKA "The Wall" in the Seven Hills development located just off the Cedarcrest corridor. Hill repeats anyone?
- Old County Farm Rd climbs in steps from Brooks Rd to Old Cartersville Hwy.
- The combination of Old Lost Mountain, Bullard, Jordan, Luther Ward, Mayes and Friendship Church roads in Cobb County have lots of fast carved turns and the route passes some horse farms.
- The combination of Rich Davis, McClung, Cochran Ridge, Jewel Cole and Davis Mill roads, all south of Highway 278 in Paulding County, have nice climbs, carved turns and the route gets scenic toward the end.
- The Silver Comet Trail is closed from sunset to sunrise. Many ride the trail at night but the Paulding County Sheriff has been known to threaten tickets. Cobb County Police don’t seem to care.
- Park in the Publix shopping center.
- Alternate parking at Children's Dental Centers near McDonalds.
- Convenience stores at the corners of Bobo Rd and Macland Rd (Grands) as well as Old Cartersville Hwy and Ivey Gulledge Rd are well stocked, very clean and cyclist friendly.
Terms of Use: Use of this route is at your own risk. This route map and associated route descriptions are believed correct at the time of publication but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. You assume all responsibility for 1) checking weather and road conditions, 2) knowing and obeying land use rules and restrictions, 3) knowing and obeying all rules of the road, 4) carrying and using proper safety and navigation equipment and, 5) knowing the limits of your physical ability. SoutheasCyclingRoutes.com, contributors and Timothy Hollingworth are in no way liable for personal injury, damage to personal property, or any other loss to individuals following this route or using information contained in the route map or description.
Do NOT recommend!
I did the County Line 44 on a mid-day Friday in July. Unbelievable amount of traffic on most all of this route. It lists it as suburban/rural – to be honest, there is virtually nothing rural about almost any part of this route. It’s just a long, crowded slog past subdivision after strip mall on roads with the standard aggressive Cobb/Paulding drivers. Seven Hills is (and has been for a long time) under construction and is limited to one lane crowded with orange barrels – and drivers make it clear that they are not happy sharing with you. It’s just flat out dangerous. Mount Tabor Church Road is less crowded – but that only lets traffic ramp up to 60+ mph. At least for 4 out of it’s 5 miles – since the last is under construction (I had to cyclo-cross it through an active construction zone and jump a barrier to get through – and it’s been this for at least a year). Save yourself and drive a little farther to someplace quieter.
For perspective, I bike commute into the Town Center area and know what heavy traffic is like. If a route manages to scare me, it’s way too busy. I love this website and have likely ridden 3/4 of everything on here and appreciate all of the hard work that goes into it. It’s just that this route is way out of date and plain wrong to have people ride on.
Did County Line 37 today. I enjoyed it! Not too many cars, except crossing Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway, which took a while because there were tons of cars. Thank you for creating this site, it’s been a great find and I plan to explore a lot of these routes!
Didnt love this ride at all. Too much traffic, cutting through silver comet.
Hi Ilana. Which route did you do and what time of day? I ride these all the time and was out on some of these roads Sunday evening. Sometimes waiting just an hour or reversing direction reduces traffic significantly.
The “Ilana Kearns”? How coincidental that I was reviewing this route to try and find a comment by you. Hope you are well.
Great write up! Love how the Fuji can almost stand upright under that truck LOL.
Check out the really big truck on the Silver Comet Century page! Ride around the south long enough and you will see some big’uns.