Amicalola Falls and its lovely trails: Helping, while Hiking! - on National Trails Day

PLEASE NOTE EVENT REVISIONS posted in RED here on FRI JUNE 2nd at 4:00 PM:  Our friends at Amicalola Falls State Park have just notified us that their advertised Nat'l Trails Day project will be hosted instead by REI and the GA Appalachian Trail Club. We AOCers will gather initially at the Park Visitor Center at 8:15 AM rather than the originally posted 9 AM.  We'll caravan together ASAP about 1.5 miles up to the State Park Lodge parking lot beyond the top of the Falls for '"Volunteer Check-In" (between 8:30 and 8:45.)   If you arrive early at the State Park feel free to drive on up to the Lodge on your own.  The address of that Lodge Lot for GPS purposes, etc. is 418 Amicalola Falls Lodge Road, Dawsonville, GA  30534  -Charlie

Please join us to have some fun hiking while also "giving back" to a place we dearly love.  Our ranger friends at Amicalola Falls State Park have invited us to help them celebrate "National Trails Day" on June 3rd by partnering with REI and the GA Appalachian Trail Club at the Park for some worthy trail maintenance tasks. There is no charge for participants other than the Park's usual $5 daily parking fee (for vehicles that don't display an annual DNR parking pass).

We're proud to continue the AOC's fine tradition of supporting National Trails Day (the first Saturday of June each year) by volunteering.  Hundreds of trails improvement projects are scheduled on that day throughout the USA.

Below is a summary of the Amicalola Falls State Park event that REI has posted on their website at the following link:  Please click on this link and Pre-Register with REI (in additional to your AOC registration at the base of this article):
https://www.rei.com/events/national-trails-day-at-amicalola-falls/175474  

"National Trails Day is American Hiking Society's signature trail awareness program that inspires Americans of all ages to discover, engage, and celebrate trails while participating in outdoor activities, clinics, exhibits, and trail work projects. There's an adventure waiting for everyone, since it's America's largest trails celebration. REI is partnering with the Georgia Appalachian Trail club for a steward project at Amicalola Falls. We will spend the morning repairing trail and planting indigenous plants along the AT Approach Trail. This is a fun work day and a great way to volunteer and give back to the outdoor trails we love. No experience is necessary. Everyone is invited including groups and families. We will be providing food, drinks, a free Tshirt, and a great day of volunteering!"

Our hosts expect the trail project to be over by about 1:00 PM.  We then we can relax in a shady spot where REI will treat us to food & refreshments - or also feel free to bring your own picnic lunch in a daypack, etc.  Then we can do a couple of optional additional scenic AOC hikes in the Park that will bring our total to the advertised 5 miles or so for the day.  We expect to be back at our cars from the optional hikes by 3:00 PM.  No problem if any of you need to "split" early provided that you let me and our AOC group know.  - Charlie

ABOUT AMICALOLA FALLS:  Featuring one of the highest waterfalls in eastern America, Amicalola Falls is among the AOC's "top 10" most popular destinations and is considered by many to be GA's most beautiful State Park. Over the years we AOCershave enjoyed hundreds of memorable events there including dayhikes, backpacking trips, pioneer camping weekends, Len Foote Hike Inn overnighters and adventurous "bushwhacks" through the adjoining Chattahoochee Nat'l Forest.  The Park's Visitor Center phone number is 706-265-4703.  For more Park info click here: http://gastateparks.org/AmicalolaFalls  For a color topographic Trail Map click: http://www.n-georgia.com/pdf/amicalola-falls-state-park-map.pdf

DIRECTIONS from GA-400/ I-285 INTERCHANGE in N ATLANTA (Sandy Springs) to AMICALOLA FALLS STATE PARK (about 60 miles or 90 minutes): 

1.  From the I-85 Interchange go North on GA-400 /US-19 N about 42 miles.  (En route, about 10 miles N of GA-400, you'll pass our optional Mansell Rd Exit carpool meeting place near Roswell.)
2.  Turn Left onto GA-136 (This turn is about 3 mi. beyond the busy built-up GA-53 intersection which is south of Dahlonega. GA-136 is also called Harmony Church Rd.)
3.  Follow GA-136 westward for about 17.3 miles.
4.  Bear Right off GA-136 onto GA-183 (a.k.a. Elliott Pkwy) and go about 1.1 miles.
5.  Bear Right onto GA-52 East and go 1.6 miles.
6.  Turn Left onto Amicalola Falls State Park Rd and go only about 1/4 mile to the State Park Visitor Center on your right. For a zoomable online map or satellite view, click on the above rectangular blue & green "Event Location" icon.  Our AOC volunteers will rendezvous with one another at the Visitor Center entrance at 8:15 AM and caravan together up to the State Park Lodge parking lot where we'll check in with our REI and GATC hosts between 8:30 & 8:45.
  Don't forget to display on your rear-view mirror a daily $5 parking pass receipt ("self-service" envelopes for this are available) or your GA-DNR annual parking pass.  The State Park Visitor Center phone number is 706-265-4703.

GPS and GOOGLE.com/MAPS USERS: You can input the these concise Lat/Lon coordinates of the Visitor Center as your destination address in lieu of a street address:.
    34.5578,-84.2494

An approximate street address for the Visitor Ctr is 240 Amicalola State Park Rd, Dawsonville, GA

No charge other than the usual $5 daily GA State Park parking fee for vehicles that don't display a valid annual GA-DNR parking pass.  (BTW, the annual parking passes can be borrowed at no charge from many Atlanta area public libraries.)