Leita Thompson Memorial Park — Attraction in Roswell

This summer of 2025 the park is the most crowded I've seen it in ten years with shared space friction reaching annoying levels. It seems to be a current fitness fad for people to strap backpacks on and set out with pointed hiking poles to meander up the hills of the park as if they're deep in the Appalachian Mountains instead of being a half-mile away from Super Target. Rucking has its place as a fitness tool but it's more of a muscular-skeletal activity over an aerobic one, and the older retirees doing it seem to have little idea of exercise science or what they're doing to themselves or why. There's a bench in the park that says "the little park that puts people in a good mood", but its aerobic exercise that confers most of the mood benefits of exercise, not this plodding paced rucking, as we can see from these peoples' glum serious faces. Although that is very good for their muscles and bones. There are also increased dog walkers so that now the whole trail has the feel of a dog park and not just the designated dog play area, nothing against this, as I love dogs. It's mainly the people crowding the park who make it bad as they seem to be older retirees just now doing anything athletic in their lives (probably based on doctors orders). They're easily started if you jog by them and just in general seem like they're using a public park for the first time in their lives. I'm hoping this winter the crowds will thin out some, next summer if the increased crowding continues they may have to start charging...

A favorite place for light hiking and trail running. I discovered this little trail system about 7 years ago when my daughter was first born. I put the baby her in the baby jogger and did the loops to help get off the baby weight. It's a gravel trail. It's well-maintained and well-marked. there are several loops varying in distance from about 1.25 miles to 2.5 miles. when I really want to work out hard I just loop back around the other direction and can double down or add any number of intervals to make it a little more lengthy. parking is decent. However, you may have to park in the overflow area if it's a really pretty day or primetime on the weekend. There's access to the dog off leash area, too. There are nice hills it's rolling and if you're not in great shape you just take it easy. There are plenty of benches that you can sit on along the way. The only annoyances that you have to make a u-turn to get in if you're coming from Woodstock or Roswell...

Great hiking/walking trails. This is an awesome park. It has walking trails through the woods, almost completely shaded. The trails are well marked with maps showing the way. There are a few different routes to get different distances. The main parking is limited, but there's a one lane road through some trees that leads to overflow parking. There's a wheel chair accessable outhouse at the parking. The trails are packed gravel/dirt. I've always brought my backpack carrier for my two year old. You might be able to do a jogging stroller with good wheels, but it might be uneven/slightly rocky in places. There is a nicely landscaped area between the parking lot and the road, with some benches for resting or eating lunch. Go...