Atlanta is making huge strides toward becoming a bike-friendly city, but our streets can still be pretty intimidating if you haven’t ridden in a while. According to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, 60 percent of Atlantans would like to ride a bike but don’t feel safe. If you’re one of them, give these safe, easy routes a try to get you up to speed. If you’re participating in the Atlanta Bike Challenge, don’t forget to log your rides! Once you’re comfortable on the saddle, use this handy bike map of Midtown and Downtown to find beginner-friendly streets.

The Silver Comet Trail

Once a railroad (a la The BeltLine), the Silver Comet Trail is now a 12-foot-wide, 61.5-mile-long biker’s paradise in the north Georgia countryside. Strap on a helmet and ride until your heart’s content without worrying about motorized vehicles or running out of trail. There are plenty of bathrooms, picnic areas, restaurants, and other amenities along the way, but they pale in comparison to the scenery. Ride over rushing rivers and past rock cliffs and stately pines, all on a comfortable paved trail.

Location: The trail starts 13 miles northwest of Atlanta at the intersection of South Cobb Drive and the East-West Connector in Smyrna at the Mavell Road Trailhead then heads west through Cobb, Paulding, and Polk counties until it hits the Georgia/Alabama state line near Cedartown and the Esom Hill Trailhead, where the Chief Ladiga Trail takes over. If you’re living car-free (bravo!), take MARTA to the Holmes Station then hop on Cobb Rapid Transit Bus #30, which has bike racks on the front and will take you to the trail via Floyd Road.

Tips: Some serious cyclists will shoot past, but it’s still very beginner friendly with plenty of families, joggers, and amateur cyclists.

Guide: The section from the start of the trail through Mile 6 is the busiest. If you’re looking to avoid the crowds, hop on west of there. While much of it is flat, there are sections that will give your legs a serious workout. At Mile 23, you’ll ride over a 700-foot-long trestle, 100 feet above the creek; stop and check out the lookouts. The section fromMile 28 through Mile 33 is mostly within a Georgia Wildlife Management Area. Keep your eye out for deer, foxes, bobcats, and wild turkeys as you cruise through this scenic area. You’ll go through some lovely forests at Miles 44 and 45 before hitting challenging hills and long downhill straightaways at Mile 46 (Remember: What goes down, must come up on the way back). Hop off the saddle at Mile 53 to check out the Silver Comet Museum where you can see a replica of one of the original Silver Comet rail stations. Once you’re west of Mile 55, you’ll be in a remote area with limited cell phone service, so bring a buddy and think twice about going after dark.

Resources: Silvercometmap.com has a great interactive map showing every trailhead and amenity along the way. The PATH Foundation also has printable maps of each of the trail’s 11 sections. Silver Comet Cycles in Mableton rents bikes and holds riding events.

north Georgia countryside. 500-foot long trestle over a rushing river, rock cliffs, stately pines.

Arabia Mountain Path

Go for a carefree, car-free cruise through more than 7,000 acres of meadows, trees, wildflowers, streams, and rock outcroppings on Arabia Mountain Trail. Near the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, enjoy truly amazing views of the South River on a steel bridge so large it had to be trucked down from Alabama in six segments. There are also several great walking paths along the way in Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve and Panola Mountain State Park. Give your bike a rest in the provided racks and go for a little hike.

Location: Hop onto the trail on Lithonia, just north of I-20 and US 278. Park at the north end of the trail or at Stonecrest Mall. The PATH Foundation trail winds through DeKalb and Rockdale counties, ending at the South Rockdale Community Park on Fairview Road. Tips: This well-maintained trail isn’t as crowded as the Silver Comet, but that may well be due to its hilly nature. Be ready to work a bit for your scenic vistas. It does, after all, have the word “mountain” right there in the name, so you can’t be surprised.

Guide: The map above shows some of the Arabia Mountain Trail’s points of interest. A few highlights: Point 4, Arabia Mountain itself, which is not, in fact, a mountain but a monadnock (learn something new every day) and is estimated to be about 100 million years older than Stone Mountain. Point 13, the South River Bridge, is a lovely place for a break. Head down to the sand beach and maybe catch a turtle basking in the sun if it’s the right time of year. Point 16, Panola Mountain, is among the most incredible rock outcrops in the country and is a designated national natural landmark. Point 21, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, is a 2,000+ acre preserve with a bonsai greenhouse and a striking cloister and abbey (“Georgia’s most remarkable concrete building”) built by monks.

Resources: The Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area website is chock full o’ information about the region as well as events, such as archery classes and tree-top excursions. The PATH Foundation provides both printable maps of trail segments and an online interactive map of a self-guided bike tour.

Freedom Park/Stone Mountain Trail

This 19-mile series of trails is incredible because of the variety of Atlanta landmarks you’ll witness along the way — Downtown skyscrapers, the MLK Historic site, the Carter Center, Fernbank History Center, Decatur, and, of course, Stone Mountain itself. It’s not so incredible because you will have to ride on the street for about four miles, near Candler Park and Clarkston, which can be unnerving. And thanks to the new Trinity Triangle project in Decatur, some on-street riding is possible in that area too. Still, it’s tough to beat if you live intown and there are bike lanes on most of the on-street portions.

Location: Beginning at Piedmont Avenue and ending in a loop around Stone Mountain, the trail goes through often-crowded Freedom Park, where it is known as the Freedom Park Trail, and intersects the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail near the Carter Library and Museum.

Tips: Neither super hilly nor super flat, this trail will definitely give you a bit of a workout in places. When it comes to the on-street portions, remember you can always walk your bike if you’re feeling uncomfortable.

Resources: Grab some printable maps from the PATH Foundation. You may need them for the on-street portions, which aren’t always marked as well as they could be. Get parking, dining, and nightlife recommendations via Central Atlanta Progress.

The BeltLine’s Eastside (and Other) Trail(s)

This list wouldn’t be complete without the BeltLine, every Atlantan’s fave car-free, multi-use path. The Eastside Trail has countless healthy restaurants, shops, and parks along the way. This section is only 2.25 miles right now, but before long, everything will be connected in a giant 33-mile loop. ITB and OTB is the new ITP and OTP.

Location: The Eastside Trail runs from the tip of Piedmont Park at 10th and Monroe down to Irwin Street near DeKalb Avenue. Your magical BeltLine journey will take you through Virginia-Highland, Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, and the Old Fourth Ward.

Tips: The Eastside Trail connects up with the Freedom Park Trail (see entry above), so the world’s your oyster if you’re feeling adventurous. You’ll be dodging strollers, walkers, joggers, kids on scooters, and rollerskaters, so don’t forget your trail etiquette. Stay to the right of the centerline, politely call out “on your left!” to let pedestrians know where you are (assuming, you’re on their left), and don’t be a speed demon. The BeltLine also hosts how-to-ride events for kids and bike tours. Guide: The Eastside Trail is the BeltLine’s busiest, most crowded segment, but others are open for business and great for biking as well. Try the Northside Trail through Tanyard Creek Park (about a mile long), the wooded Southwest Connector Spur Trail near Lionel Hampton Trail, and the West End Trail from White Street to Westview Cemetery.

Resources: The BeltLine has a mobile app and an online interactive map to keep you up to speed on all things related to the trail. There’s also a printable trail map. Stop by Atlanta Beltline Bicycle to rent a bike for just $15 for the whole day.

Group Rides, Tours, and Events

Group Rides: If setting out alone seems intimidating, there’s no shortage of group rides and bike-friendly events in Atlanta to try. Get social and learn riding skills at the same time. Most of the rides listed on Southeastern Cycling‘s extensive list are not beginner friendly, but a few are. (Hint: do a search on the page for the word “beginner.”) Same goes for Southern Bicycle League‘s list. Atlanta Cycling offers multiple group rides from their stores all year long, including designated beginner rides.

Bicycle Tours of Atlanta offers several guided, beginner-friendly tours, including art tours, BeltLine tours, Piedmont Park tours, and city tours, while Civil Bikes offers tours of important civil rights landmarks in the city. Last, but certainly not least, new riders can never, ever go wrong with a Streets Alive event, although you’ll have to wait until next year for another one.

Where are your favorite places to bike in Atlanta?