Afoot & Afield: Atlanta: 108 Spectacular Outings in North-Central Georgia

by Marcus Woolf

Overview

Escape Atlanta and head for the hills with 108 great hikes

From American Indian settlements and Civil War battlefields, to lush riverbanks and remote wilderness, experienced outdoor author Marcus Woolf presents a comprehensive collection of 108 boot-tested hikes. Ranging from easy day hikes along the Chattahoochee River to weekend excursions in the north Georgia mountains, all the trips are within a two-hour drive of the city.

Afoot & Afield Atlanta has abundant choices for everyone, from families with small children to casual hikers to experienced backpackers. This guide encompasses the vast public lands in the Atlanta area, including Amicalola Falls, Fort Mountain, Vogel, Unicoi, Tallulah Gorge, Victoria Bryant, F.D. Roosevelt, Panola Mountain, Fort Yargo, and Watson Mill Bridge State Parks; Cohutta Wilderness; Chickamauga Battlefield; the Benton MacKaye and Appalachian Trails; Carters Lake; Smithgall Woods; Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area; Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve; Stone Mountain Park; Ocmulgee National Monument; and much more.

Each trip includes the following:

• At-a-glance essential information, including distance, hiking time, and elevation gain
• Highlights summarizing its best features and helping you quickly decide whether it’s right for you
• Complete description and hiking directions
• An easy-to-read map with GPS waypoints
• Ratings for difficulty and suitability for children and dogs, as well as backpacking, mountain biking, and horseback riding

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780899977874
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	11/10/2015
Series:	Afoot & Afield
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	1,051,284
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Marcus Woolf has written for national outdoor magazines, such as “Backpacker” and “Outside,” and for 20 years he served as an editor and journalist for outdoor business publications. In 2011, he cofounded The Adventure Post website, where he shares his passion for the outdoors and adventure travel. While doing the legwork for this book, he survived a nose-to-nose encounter with a bear at 2 a.m. and a charge from a particularly mean opossum. Woolf is based in the Southeast, where he enjoys hiking, kayaking, and an unhinged passion for Alabama football.

Read an Excerpt

Yonah Mountain

• Distance Up to 4.2 miles, out-and-back
• Difficulty Moderate
• Elevation +/-1,545'
• Trail Use Climbing and backpacking
• Best Times Spring, fall, and winter
• Agency Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests
• Recommended Map USGS 7.5-minute Helen

HIGHLIGHTS
Near the center of White Country lies the massive Yonah Mountain, a 3,156-foot peak with a great brow of exposed granite stretching across its upper face. That sea of granite has made climbing the primary activity on Yonah, though improved access has attracted more hikers. A gravel access road leads to a well-constructed parking area.

A unique aspect of Yonah is that it serves as a training site for the US Army Ranger 5th Battalion. The Mountain Phase of Ranger School includes climbing instruction, so the rangers have established bolted routes that are ideal for beginner or intermediate climbers and are open to the public when not in use by the school. Less than a mile in, a grassy clearing offers views of a placid valley, and higher on the mountain, exposed granite faces make a great perch to look out over rolling forested ridges and the lowlands to the south.

DIRECTIONS
From Atlanta, take I-85 north to I-985. Take I-985 to Exit 24 for GA 369. Turn left onto GA 369 west, go 0.6 mile, and turn right onto US 129 north. Take US 129 to Cleveland. From the town square in Cleveland, go 0.4 mile and turn right onto GA 75. Travel 3.6 miles on GA 75 and turn right on Tom Bell Road. Go 0.1 mile on Tom Bell Road, and turn left onto Chambers Road. Travel 0.8 mile on Chambers Road and turn left onto a gravel road. Travel 0.4 mile to the parking area.

FACILITIES/TRAILHEAD
There is a privy at the trailhead and another at the clearing at 1.5 miles. There is no fee for parking or camping. There are no water sources, so carry all the water you will need.

NOTE(S)
To avoid hiking or climbing during ranger training, call the US Army Ranger 5th Battalion at Camp Frank D. Merrill at 706-864-3327.

DESCRIPTION
At the northeast side of the gravel parking area (Waypoint 1), enter the narrow dirt path that cuts through high grass. You soon walk a shaded trail that rises gradually through mixed hardwoods, pines, and mountain laurels. The path winds among large boulders scattered throughout a modest slope and then up the mountain’s south- western flank.

Climb two sets of stone steps, and then walk downhill briefly. At 0.9 mile, you scramble over large rocks and pass between two boulders that are about 20 feet high. Another gradual walk uphill brings you to a grassy clearing at 1.1 miles (Waypoint 2). To the left is a wide break in the trees where you can see for miles, with lowlands extending to the western horizon. A trail to the right marked lowers leads to the lower climbing crag. Go straight toward the upper climbing area, traveling north across the field to continue up the mountain and begin a steep ascent on an old roadbed of red earth.

At 1.4 miles, a narrow trail on the right provides alternate access to the upper cliff faces. Continue straight, traveling north. At 1.5 miles (Waypoint 3), turn right onto a gravel road and travel east to ascend. You soon reach a wide clearing that rangers use as a staging area and where camping is allowed for those who wish to spend the night on the mountain (Waypoint 4).

Two trails are to the right. Of these two trails, the path to the right provides the more direct access to the cliff face, while the one to the left takes you on a nice walk toward the mountain summit. To reach one of the best views on the mountain, take the trail to the right and proceed to Waypoint 5. Turn right to follow the trail toward the Boulder, traveling west. At Waypoint 6, continue straight toward the Main Face, traveling south on a narrow, rocky path that leads to its base. Turn left and walk north to reach a rock outcrop (Waypoint 7). From the base of this large granite face, you enjoy an impressive view of a long run of rolling, forested hills in the Chattahoochee National Forest, as well as a broad expanse of farm- and pastureland.

From the clearing at Waypoint 4, if you take the trail to the left, you will reach the intersection of several trails at Waypoint 8. Take the leftmost path, which is gravel, and climb gradually to the east. Hike for another half mile, crossing beds of exposed granite, to reach the large, circular clearing at the mountain summit. This grassy opening is ringed with trees, so there are no clear views. But on a blue-sky day, it’s a good place to rest and enjoy some sunshine. Retrace your steps to walk back down the mountain.

Table of Contents

Overview Map

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introducing the Atlanta Area

Comfort, Safety, & Etiquette

Using this Book

Overview of Hikes

The Hikes by Area

• Northwest Georgia
• North-Central Georgia
• Northeast Georgia
• West of Atlanta
• Central Atlanta
• East of Atlanta
• South of Atlanta

Hikes by Theme

Recommended Books and Maps

Agencies and Information Sources

Conservation Organizations and Trail Groups

Index

About the Author