Decatur Area Inter-Park Hike: Mason Mill, Ira Melton and Lullwater Preserve at Emory

EVENT PLAN:  Hope you can join us on the first Saturday afternoon of the New Year for this adventurous 3-hour hike.  We'll explore the trails, boardwalks and wooded terrain that connect Mason Mill Park with Emory University's Lullwater Preserve and Ira Melton Park.  Comfortable hiking weather is expected - in the low 60s and partly sunny.  We plan to go ahead with the event "rain or shine" although there's a slight possibility of a light shower.
  We'll gather for introductions a few minutes before 1:30 PM in the free parking lot just inside the Mason Mill Park entrance, beside the stone restroom building, and expect to be back there by 4:30 after the hike.  See detailed Directions & GPS info below. (NOTE:  During the months since the pandemic began the park restrooms have normally been been locked, so please take this into account before you arrive.  On similar recent hikes we've found it easy to observe the CDC's Covid-19 guidelines regarding safe social distancing, etc.)
  We'll enjoy portions of popular multi-million-dollar "PATH Foundation" paved trails and raised forest-canopy boardwalks (see photo above) - also explore a few ruggedly scenic narrow trails that wind around the creeks and lakes.  Along the way we'll visit several "hidden gems" including the Emory president's mansion waterfall and its adjoining ~100-year-old stone "hydropower tower" via a suspension foot bridge over Peachtree Creek.  We'll take a moderate pace, slowing down a bit on the few steep spots and pausing occasionally to take photos and discuss the native wild flora & fauna.  If you need to "split" early from the group for any reason, that's OK, but please be sure to let me know if and when you do so.  It should be easy to direct you back to the parking lot from almost anywhere in the terrain.
  Bring your well-behaved dog if you like, but please make sure that he or she is leashed and under your control at all times.

OPTIONAL EXTRA INFO about the PARKS, TRAILS etc:  DeKalb County's Mason Mill Park and Emory's Lullwater Preserve now conveniently connect with one another and there's even a "PATH pedestrian underpass" under Clairmont Road that makes it easy and safe to hike between the two near the VA Hospital.  The PATH Foundation's South Peachtree Creek Trail (see interactive map link below) is the main artery through this "multi-park" corridor, and like the Silver Comet Trail it was built to their high design & construction standards.  In the years since PATH's construction of the original mile of "double-wide" trail between Mason Mill Park and Medlock Park (in about 2005) the foundation has raised and invested additional millions of dollars to create and maintain another 3/4-mile-long spur trail & boardwalk from Mason Mill to North Druid Hills Rd and another beautiful 1/4-mile spur from Mason Mill underneath Clairmont Rd, allowing easy access to Emory's trails.  A high wooden deck overlooking the historic "Decatur Waterworks" ruins and RR track has proven to be a handy dark spot for urban "skygazing" - i.e, viewing the stars & planets, sunsets, moonrises, eclipses, meteor showers, comets, etc.  In the creek below the Waterworks' high deck is a convenient set of massive flat stepping stones, allowing hikers easy optional access to the ~1-mile network of "Ira Melton Park" trails unless the creek water is too high.  Although we don't have time to include it this time, another fun option (that we sometimes add for hikes in this area of 3 hours or more) is to walk a few blocks further eastward beyond Medlock Park (via residential streets) to lovely "Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve" and do at least a ~1-mile "wetlands bird-habitat loop" there before heading back to our Mason Mill Park meetup spot.

AOC Covid-19 Participant Limit:  In the interest of following public health guidelines, our Club limits the number of participants on each outing to TEN.   In due time we look forward to being able to restore our normal pre-pandemic limits for events of various types.

You can click this Link for an INTERACTIVE  MAP of the South Peachtree Creek "PATH" Trail.  Its impressive network of its main and spur trails interconnect Mason Mill Park, Medlock Park, Lullwater Preserve, Ira Melton Park and other DeKalb County green space:  https://maps.pathfoundation.org/trails/south-peachtree-creek-trail/

FROM the I-85 CLAIRMONT ROAD EXIT in NE METRO ATLANTA to our MASON MILL PARK Gathering Spot:   (For a zoomable color MAP and satellite view of this spot and its vicinity click on the square blue & green "Event Location" near the top of this article.)

1. From the I-85 "Clairmont Road" Exit (Exit #91) in NE Atlanta take Clairmont Rd southward (toward Decatur) about 2.3 miles to the traffic light at McConnell Drive.  (This is the next light south of the big Clairmont/ North Druid Hills intersection.  If you reach the huge VA Hospital you've gone a couple of blocks too far!)

2. Turn Left onto McConnell Drive, go just 0.1 mile, and turn Right at the stop sign to stay on McConnell. (Note the small "Mason Mill" directional sign here near the entranceway to DeKalb County's Avis Williams Library.)

3. Then turn Left almost immediately at the "Mason Mill Park" entrance sign and park in its large free lot.  We'll gather by the stone Restroom building near the entrance (adjoining the children's playground.  In the unlikely event that you can't find a parking space, there's always plenty of free parking at the nearby Library mentioned above.) 

GPS and GOOGLE MAPS USERS:  In lieu of a numerical street address for our gathering spot in the Park you can enter the following Lat/Lon as your Destination address, being sure to include the comma and minus sign.
  33.8080,-84.3066

Free Event with Free Parking!