Mason Mill Park Has a Staff Naturalist and a Winter Calendar to Match

On Saturday, December 19, Ranger Jonah lights a campfire near the Old Decatur Waterworks at 5:00. Storytelling begins at 5:15 and the first round of s'mores comes out at 5:40. More stories start at 6:15, and the evening winds down with another round of s'mores before the program ends at 7:00. Ranger Jonah is the DeKalb County Park Naturalist assigned to Mason Mill Park. Stories & S'mores is one of more than a dozen dates on the park's winter calendar.

For North Druid Hills and Toco Hills households, the most fully scheduled outdoor space this season is the South Peachtree Creek trailhead on McConnell Drive. From the bird stroll on November 19 through the full moon walk on December 23, the South Fork Conservancy events calendar lists at least one program at or near this trailhead every week. Most are led by the naturalist or by a county wellness walk leader, and most start at 1400 McConnell Drive. The county money approved this year is aimed at taking this trail toward Briarcliff Road.

The calendar, Thanksgiving week to Christmas week

Every date in this table is still ahead when this post goes up. Except for the wreath workshop, which is the conservancy's own event, each one is listed as a partner event. Before you go, check the event listings, since outdoor programs can change.

The Nature Play Adventure also appears on the calendar as an entry running from November 20 to December 18. On December 23, a second Just Walk entry begins that runs to January 23.

One street, one morning routine

Nearly every program on that list meets somewhere along a short stretch of McConnell Drive. The trailhead is at 1400, the playground where the bird strolls start is at 1340, and the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library is at 1282. A Saturday morning mushroom class and an evening campfire happen on the same street, on the same day.

"Fungi Though the Seasons: Fall" is listed at the library on December 19 at 10:00 a.m. Its description says Eliza Crofts leads the class at Mason Mill Park. Seven hours later, the campfire program starts a short walk from the trailhead.

Ranger Jonah's Bird Stroll is a two-mile walk on Mason Mill's trails to see which birds are active. Carolyn Hartfield, a certified health coach, leads Just Walk, a wellness program run by DeKalb County and Walk with a Doc. Her Black Friday session is billed as a way to walk off Thursday's turkey dinner. The ASL Nature Series invites members of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community to explore the park with Ranger Jonah, and the whole walk is interpreted in ASL.

December 6 is the busiest Sunday. The ASL walk takes the morning. In the afternoon, the Friends of Melton Park hold a forest and trail stewardship session at Ira B. Melton Park on Desmond Drive. At the same time, at Waller's Coffee Shop on DeKalb Industrial Way, the South Fork Conservancy hosts a wreath workshop where participants gather kudzu vines near the creek and make their own wreaths, with hot chocolate and live music.

Getting from the lot to the campfire

The campfire site is about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the parking lot, and the Stories & S'mores page lays out the route:

1. Park at the South Peachtree Creek trailhead near the Mason Mill Tennis Center, at McConnell Drive and Mason Mill Road.
2. Follow the signs along the paved trail.
3. Cross the railroad bridge.
4. Continue to the campfire near the Old Decatur Waterworks, about half a mile from the trailhead.

Most of the route is concrete and boardwalk, more than 10 feet wide, with a few spots where the grade is slightly above 5 percent. At the end there is a set of uneven stone stairs. The campfire site has no facilities. Public restrooms are near the playground, and the DeKalb Tennis Center bathrooms are available when the Pro Shop is open. If it rains, the program is canceled. The page suggests bringing camp chairs or a blanket, a picnic dinner, a flashlight or headlamp, and a refillable water bottle. Leashed dogs that are comfortable around large groups are welcome. Registration is on Eventbrite, and the program falls under DeKalb County's waiver.

That half mile covers the most memorable parts of the trail. According to the PATH Foundation, the South Peachtree Creek Trail runs 2.6 miles and includes about a mile of boardwalk through forest and over wetland. Along the way are seating areas where you can watch wildlife or the trains on the nearby track, and a bridge that crosses the railroad. The trail links Medlock Park to Mason Mill Park and Emory University. The main parking is at Medlock Park and Mason Mill Park. DeKalb County's parks listing counts more than six miles of trails inside Mason Mill Park alone, and gives Medlock Park's address as 874 Gaylemont Circle. That makes the paved greenway the spine of a much larger network of soft-surface paths.

Where this trail is headed

The same trail is the subject of two funding decisions DeKalb made in 2026. Both would extend it toward more of the area around North Druid Hills.

According to Decide DeKalb's announcement, the first award comes from the Briarcliff/North Druid Hills tax allocation district. It covers about 8,864 linear feet across the two segments, and Segment 3 is intended to connect eventually to the Peachtree Creek Greenway. WABE reported that this money pays for acquisition and design, and that construction funding is expected to need a later request to Decide DeKalb. The 2027 to 2029 dates are the authority's projections.

The county commission's May item adds a reimbursement agreement for the Medlock Park extension. EDENS, LLC is to repay DeKalb up to $4.5 million through Decide DeKalb, paid out as funds come in and as work is completed.

Both projects are still in planning, and the routes are on paper. For now, the trail that exists is the 2.6 miles between Medlock Park and Emory, with programs at the McConnell Drive trailhead every week through the holidays. For more ideas close to home, see our North Druid Hills lifestyle guide and the North Druid Hills neighborhood page.

At Heather Cummings, we keep track of the dates that bring neighbors together, from campfire nights at Mason Mill to our own annual Santa Photos. If you'd like help with a winter weekend plan or a question about the trail work coming to your part of North Druid Hills, Let's Connect.