There are 35 new trees around the pond at Roswell Area Park. There's an improved trail along the shoreline and native plantings at the water's edge. Turtles and frogs came back on their own, before the construction crews had even packed up. A small island sits in the middle, ringed by new stone retaining walls. Signs at the edge of the water ask you not to drop a line.
That pond sums up Roswell's parks right now. Water access is still on hold at the pond, along the Chattahoochee at Riverside Park, and at the creek below the Vickery Creek trails. The pond loop and the Vickery Creek trails are open, and Riverside is closed outright. The city's rebuilt fields and courts reopened in September. The places where you'd normally touch the water won't fully reopen until 2027.
The pond trail is open, and the fishing restriction runs into 2027
The city held a ribbon cutting at Roswell Area Park, 10495 Woodstock Road, on Thursday, Sept. 10, and officially welcomed people back to the pond. The project took nearly a year and cost about $3.1 million. Crews dredged the pond, rebuilt the embankment, upgraded the stormwater system, added new forebays, and improved the retaining walls and the walking trail around the water. The money came from Roswell's voter-approved 2022 bond program, which totals $179.6 million.
Fishing is the part that isn't back. According to the City of Roswell's completion announcement, about 15,000 fish will be restocked in phases as the pond settles. Fishing is expected to reopen in late summer or fall 2027.
Appen Media's reporting explains why the wait is so long. The city is restocking with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in a set order. Feeder and bait fish go in first, and predators come later. The full mix is bluegill, sunfish, flathead minnows, golden shiners, grass carp, channel catfish, largemouth bass and threadfin shad. Taylor Smith, the city's deputy director for recreation and parks, told Appen the old pond had been unhealthy, with too much silt and too little oxygen. Removing more than 3,500 cubic yards of sediment made the pond deeper, which gives the fish better habitat.
You can walk the loop on any afternoon this fall. The new water lilies and log turtle habitats are there to give the wildlife cover while it settles in. Leave the tackle box at home until 2027.
Dry land came back first
The pond's ribbon cutting was one of several reopenings this fall, and the others are all on dry land.
On Sept. 24, the city reopened Soccer Fields #1 and #2 at Grimes Bridge Park, 830 Grimes Bridge Road, after converting them to artificial turf. The $4.1 million project also added a plaza and stair connection, a retaining wall, fencing and netting, and stormwater work. Turf can be played on in weather that would shut down grass fields. That matters most from now through early spring.
On Oct. 2, the city announced it had finished a citywide LED lighting upgrade at its athletic fields and racquet courts. The bond tracker shows the work completed in September 2026. The new lights arrived just as the days get shorter, so they'll be on for most evening practices between now and March.
East Roswell Park, 9000 Fouts Road, finished its dog park expansion and general improvements in 2025. The dog park grew from half an acre to three-quarters of an acre. If a dog walk at Riverside was part of your routine, East Roswell is the closest finished alternative the bond program has produced.
The river park is the long closure
Riverside Park, at 575 Riverside Road on the Chattahoochee, is the biggest gap on the map. Groundbreaking for the bond-funded renovation was Friday, March 13, 2026. The city's Riverside Park page lists a Summer 2027 reopening. The park is part of the city's River Parks Master Plan, which aims to link Roswell's riverfront parks into one connected system.
Here's what the closure means day to day, according to the city:
- Walking routes: Pedestrian routes stay open for the whole project.
- Parking: Park at Ace Sand Park, 705 Riverside Road, or Don White Memorial Park, 925(B) Riverside Road. Azalea Park and River Landing are not alternate parking.
- Sprayground: Closed during construction.
- Riverside Sounds: The concert series is on hold until further notice.
- Traffic: The city does not expect any traffic disruption from the closure.
The parking guidance is the part you'll actually use. Azalea Park is the obvious place to pull over along that stretch, and the city has specifically ruled it out.
Vickery Creek: the trails are open, the creek is not
The pattern goes back further at Vickery Creek. The city's Vickery Creek Old Mill Park page, for the park at 95 Mill Street, says the trail system is open but water access at the waterfall and creek is suspended. The suspension has been in place since Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. You can still hike the trails and see the old mill. You just can't get down to the water.
The fall map, place by place
| Place | Land access this fall | Water access this fall |
|---|---|---|
| Roswell Area Park Pond, 10495 Woodstock Rd. | Open, with improved trail around the pond | No fishing until late summer or fall 2027 |
| Riverside Park, 575 Riverside Rd. | Park closed; pedestrian routes maintained | Sprayground closed; park reopening Summer 2027 |
| Vickery Creek Old Mill Park, 95 Mill St. | Trails open | Waterfall and creek access suspended |
| Grimes Bridge Park, 830 Grimes Bridge Rd. | Turf fields #1 and #2 reopened Sept. 24 | No water feature involved |
| East Roswell Park, 9000 Fouts Rd. | Expanded dog park complete | No water feature involved |
The two parks open without conditions this fall are the ones with no water to manage.
What's still under construction nearby
The next round of bond work is mostly indoors or still being designed, so it won't close many more trails this season.
- Crabapple Center, 10700 Crabapple Road. Interior and exterior improvements are under construction, with a Q4 2026 target. The new roof is already finished. Pickleball players should know the City Council decided on March 23, 2026, to decommission the Crabapple Center courts and leave them as they are until a later decision.
- Liberty Square Park, 1280 Mission Hills Court. This $2.2 million park is grant-funded rather than paid for by the bond, and it's targeted for Q4 2026.
- Hembree Park, 850 Hembree Road. Still in design, with survey work and concept development underway. The estimated cost is about $11.2 million, and construction dates haven't been set.
- Ace Sand Phase II, 925 Riverside Road. In design and permitting, with an estimated cost of about $5.4 million and construction dates still to be determined. Ace Sand is also one of the overflow lots for Riverside, so check how the riverfront parking looks before each visit.
The city keeps a bond project dashboard with phases and targets for each project. For anything about whether you can actually get in, the city's dated announcements and facility pages are the better source.
Two dates in 2027 matter most. Riverside Park is expected to reopen in Summer 2027. Pond fishing should resume in late summer or fall of that year, as DNR restocking continues through the summer. Until then, you can walk the pond loop and hike the Vickery Creek trails while the water at both stays off-limits, and the Grimes Bridge turf is open for play.
At The Frye Team, we pay attention to these park reopenings for the same reason you do. They change how a Roswell weekend actually goes. If you're curious how projects like these affect what your home is worth, we're glad to talk it through. You can start with our free Instant Home Valuation.