4th of July Stone Mtn Hike + Picnic + LaserShow Fireworks Spectacular: We meet outside Park to beat the traffic!

IN a NUTSHELL:  Happy Independence Day!  If you don't already have plans for celebrating it please join us for an evening Stone Mountain Hike + Picnic + (optional) "LaserShow Spectacular"!  The weather is expected to be nice:  Less than a 30% chance of isolated showers and in the mid-80s - falling into the high 70s by the end of the evening.  Everything will be FREE, including Parking and Park entrance - see Details & Directions below.  During the event we'll explore portions of at least SEVEN different trails over about 6 miles of varied terrain.  After hiking about 2/3 of the way around the mountain we'll relax together for at least an hour to enjoy the Park's amazing laser show on the huge lawn below the giant carving.  The bigger-than-ever outdoor extravaganza will begin and end with special 4th of July fireworks and feature fabulous surround-sound music - see more about it below.  Any who need to split early from our group are welcome to do so—just let us know.  It's easy and safe to return to our vehicles on foot via the Robert E. Lee Drive sidewalk and Stone Mountain Village sidewalks.

WHERE & WHEN:  We’ll gather a few minutes before 7:00 PM OUTSIDE the PARK GATES, in a FREE municipal parking area in the quaint old village of Stone Mountain.  (See detailed Directions & GPS Address Info below).  As pedestrian Park visitors we'll have FREE entrance via the nearby quarter-mile "PATH" Entrance Trail, similar to NW Atlanta's "Silver Comet.

MORE EVENT DETAILS:  After introducing one another we’ll hike from the parking lot to the little "Red Caboose" visitor center, then eastward into the Park via the PATH trail.  As mentioned above we'll explore a variety of nice trails while hiking counterclockwise about 4 miles around the mountain to the Carving area.  We'll stake out a comfortable spot for the group on the huge lawn that will be nice both for picnicking and for a good view of the Laser Show.  It will begin with special fireworks at about 9:30 PM and last till about 10:20.  For those who wish to enjoy the amazing show with us (hopefully everyone!) we'll target getting back to our vehicles in Stone Mtn Village by about 11:00 PM.

MORE about the PARK and the 4TH of JULY LASER SHOW:  Here's the Park's online promo material about this year's 4th of July Laser Show Spectacular:

Lasershow and Fireworks: 9:30 PM.  Join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fantastic Fourth Celebration with 50 Gold Bursts to begin the extended fireworks display!   Voted the “Best Place to see Fireworks in Atlanta” by Atlanta Journal-Constitution readers, a “Must-See Fireworks Show” by USA Today and one of Reader’s Digest’s picks for “America’s Most Spectacular Fourth of July Fireworks.”Experience Lasershow 2.0, featuring new music, animation, water effects, an immersive laser canopy, and a fleet of robotic drones synced with music in front of the 825-foot mountain face.  The special patriotic fireworks finale will immediately follow the Lasershow every night July 1-4!

 Perhaps too often we Atlantans "take Stone Mountain for granite!" :>)  It rivals almost any other natural area in the country with its spectacular rock formations, beautiful lakes, rare native plants, and abundant birds & wildlife. The park has a fascinating human history as well, of which its gigantic Civil War memorial carving is but one part.

FOR PHOTOS from our Nov 2010 AOC Stone Mountain Adventure Hike:  Go to Marcus Kubota's nice photo album by clicking this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=303112&id=648793487&l=00a69951aa

FOR  MORE about STONE MOUNTAIN and its TRAILS: Here are links that may be useful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain
http://www.stonemountainpark.com/activities/recreation-golf/Hiking-Trails

DIRECTIONS to our special Free Parking and Meetup Spot at corner of 3rd Street and Manor Drive in Stone Mtn Village:  (For hiking groups such as ours I like to meet there so members can take advantage of the always-free Park admission for pedestrians and bicyclists.  The Park entrance is just a 5-minute walk away.  It currently costs $15 per day to park inside the Park and $40 per year for their "annual" parking pass.  For a zoomable color online map & satellite view of our exact meetup spot and its surrounding area click on the rectangular blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.)

1.  From "Spaghetti Junction" (the I-285/I-85 interchange in NE Atlanta) take "I-285 East" (actually southward) toward Augusta) about 4.7 miles.
2.  Take I-285 Exit #39B (bearing Right off I-285 in a clockwise loop).  Merge onto Stone Mountain Pkwy/US-78 E (toward Snellville/Athens), and go about 5.9 miles.
3.   At Exit #5 bear Right onto the "GA-10W/ Memorial Drive/ Stone Mountain" bypass.  Continue straight ahead on GA-10W about 1 mile and get in the LEFT lane as you approach the first traffic light. (AVOID the E. Ponce de Leon Ave. exit during this leg.)
4.  Turn sharply Left (at the traffic light) onto onto James B. Rivers Memorial Drive (eastward) and go 0.9 mile to the corner of 3rd Ave in Stone Mtn Village. (En route you'll cross Main Street and continue 2 more blocks to 3rd Street.)
5.  Turn Right onto 3rd Street and go just 1/4 mile (~3 city blocks - just past the SunTrust Bank) to the corner of Manor Drive where we'll gather for the hike.  There are normally plenty of free municipal parking spots available at or near this corner. Look for me, Charlie, wearing a green & white Atlanta Outdoor Club T-Shirt.
GPS or MAPS.Google.com USERS:  To augment my above written directions you can enter as your Destination Address either of the following.  If using the Lat/Lon be sure to include the middle comma and minus sign.
Lat/Lon of Meetup Spot:  33.8072,-84.1690
Approx. Street Address:  984 3rd St, Stone Mountain, GA

Free Stone Mtn Park entrance and Free Parking (outside the Park in Stone Mtn Village)