Stone Mountain Afternoon Adventure Hike

OVERVIEW:   Looks like the weather is shaping up beautifully for Thanksgiving Day.  Sachi Yanagawa and I were atop the wait list for the AOC Thanksgiving morning Vickery Creek hike, but weren't able to get confirmed, so I decided late last night to offer this Stone Mountain "Adventure Hike" instead.  Sachi definitely plans to join me, and if no other AOCers sign up we'll still plan to enjoy it just the two of us.
  Perhaps too often we Georgians "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 mountain has a fascinating human history as well, of which its gigantic memorial carving is but one part.
  On this partly-off-trail hike we'll explore a few of the Park's little-known scenic spots.  Visiting some of these "wilder" places on the mountain can be fun for those who have hiked thus far only on the most popular and well known marked trails.
  We'll plan to take a moderate pace, stopping often to regroup and to observe and photograph the craggy scenery, wild critters and flowering plants.  Despite the casual pace we'll still at times get in a good aerobic workout on the uphill climbs.  Although I don't consider this hike to be unusually dangerous or strenuous, I'm choosing to designate it a "D5" because the rock surfaces are very steep in a few places, and some "bouldering" is required.  Although the hike is more suitable for experienced hikers or rock climbers, our more adventurous and athletic AOCers with less experience should enjoy it too!

WHERE & WHEN:  We’ll gather at 12:00 Noon in the parking lot beside the "Red Caboose" Welcome Center, OUTSIDE THE PARK! in the Village of Stone Mountain.  We'll have FREE parking (detailed directions below) and FREE entrance into the Park via the quarter-mile "PATH" entrance Trail, similar to the Silver Comet.

HIKE PLAN:  After a shared Thanksgiving picnic lunch at the Caboose we’ll hike into the Park via the half-mile paved "PATH" spur trail. Our expected total hike distance will be about 7 miles, with elevation gains in our uphill portions totaling perhaps 700 vertical feet.
  On our itinerary will be several amazing rock formations that few visitors to the Park ever get to experience.   Along the way we intend to avoid disturbing the flora or fauna and to leave the mountain and its surrounding terrain in even better shape than we find it by picking up and carrying out some of the bits of trash left by previous hikers.  I'll bring a few small bags along for this worthy AOC "spruce-up" effort.
   We'll target getting back to our vehicles at the "Caboose" before dark, about 6:00 PM.  We'll enjoy a more proper Thanksgiving Dinner at the Piccadilly Cafeteria near the Park afterward.

FOR PHOTOS frpm our similar 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
 

MORE ON STONE MOUNTAIN: Here are three links that might be useful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/faq/#Recreation

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/images/maps/hiking/smp_map_hiking_map.gif
 

DIRECTIONS TO OUR 5:45 PM MEETING PLACE:
The "RED CABOOSE" WELCOME CENTER OUTSIDE the PARK in the Village of Stone Mountain:

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 Memorial Drive/Stone Mountain Bypass, and go only about 0.6 mile—then bear Right again at your first opportunity up the E. Ponce de Leon Ave. access ramp.

4) Turn Left onto E. Ponce de Leon Ave. and go 0.5 mile to the first traffic light.

5) Continue straight ahead at the light onto Main Street and go southward here for about 0.5 mile (through Stone Mtn village) to the "Red Caboose" Welcome Center and parking lot on your Left, just beyond the RR track crossing and traffic light at Mimosa Drive.
   
6)  Free parking is available by the Caboose, and in the event that these spaces are filled there is a free "MARTA Park & Ride" lot two blocks away in Stone Mtn Village.

NEED MAP or CUSTOM DIRECTIONS? If you'd like a map or directions from your specific point of departure, go to Google.com/maps and in the "Search Maps" window enter:

   891 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Then click on "Search Maps," "Get Directions," enter your personal "Start Address, and click the grey "Get Directions" box.

As a destination for your vehicle's GPS system use the above address or the following  Latitude/Longitude Coordinates of our "Red Caboose" parking lot meeting point and trailhead:

33.805321144192256,-84.17004704475403

Free Event with Free Parking!