Summerville, GA
Also referred to as “Sloppy” Floyd park due to the state representative’s nickname, this park is known for its ‘Marble Mine’ trail that takes you to an old dugout area where marble was excavated. It also has two small stocked fishing areas on either side of the park entrance road now called Upper and Lower Lakes. The drought during the time I was there meant that the streaming waterfall and pool at the “mine” were not quite as attractive as in park photos, but it was still a nice walk through the woods. The lakeside trails had several nice grassy areas to stop along. The lakes themselves were pleasant enough to paddle, the long footbridge across Upper Lake being a unique view. The park has some very large and readily available picnic pavilions and cottages.
Kayaking on Upper Lake (23 acres) and Lower Lake (28 acres)
I started by kayaking on Lower Lake in front of the visitor center. The spillway into from the road above was totally dry; I don’t know if it would ever be active in wetter times. It doesn’t take long to make your way around the lake but you do get a nice view with the mountain above in the distance. I then dragged my kayak up the embankment and carried it across to put in at the street level Upper Lake. This too was fairly calm as I made the circle but the footbridge across (with just enough space to pass under in the middle) makes it visually interesting.
