For more than 50 years, Judge William Reynolds worked to transform worn-out farmland into a botanical paradise filled with native plants, especially wild azaleas. In 1976, shortly before his death, the judge donated his private retreat to the people of Clayton County for a public park.

Today, the 146-acre nature preserve is scored by a four-mile network of trails that pass a 19th-century farmhouse and wind through forested hills and along the shores of several small ponds teeming with fish, turtles and other wildlife.

The preserve is open 8:30 a.m.-dusk daily, and a small interpretive center is open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. 5665 Reynolds Road, north of I-75 at Ga. 54, Morrow. 770-603-4188.

Food: Enjoy home-style meals with fresh veggies at Thomas' Restaurant at the State Farmers Market, 16 Forest Parkway, Forest Park.

* Degree of Difficulty as rated by "Hiking Trails of North Georgia" by Tim Homan


• Check the weather before you go.

More hiking around Atlanta
• Amicalola Falls
• Black Rock Mountain
• Chattahoochee River National Rec. Area
• Cloudland Canyon State Park
• Kennesaw Mountain
• McIntosh Reserve
• Panola Mountain
• Red Top Mountain
• Reynolds Nature Preserve
• State Botanical Garden of Georgia
• Stone Mountain
• Sweetwater Creek
• Tallulah Gorge State Park
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