Sunrise Hike at Stone Mountain

Let's start the day off right with a hike for the sunrise at the summit of Stone Mountain.  It may be dark so please bring a headlamp/flashlight, and anticipate on hiking up in the dark.  It takes about 30 minutes to get to the top.  Once there you can enjoy your morning breakfast snacks.  Everyone is encouraged to hike at their own pace.

DIRECTIONS from the US-78 STONE MOUNTAIN FREEWAY/ I-285 INTERCHANGE in NE METRO ATLANTA:
1. From I-285 exit #39B take the Stone Mtn Freeway (US-78) about 9 miles eastward (toward Stone Mtn, Snellville and Athens) and get off at Exit #8, the main Stone Mountain Park entrance.
2. Enter the Park at the admissions gate. (Suggestion: Ask for a Park map.  The daily parking fee is $10 if you don't display the ~$35 annual Stone Mtn parking pass.  There's no per-person charge for entrance.)
3. Take the Park entrance road, Jefferson Davis Drive, 1.1 mile to the Y intersection.
4. Bear Right onto Robert E. Lee Drive, go about 1 more mile westward to Confederate Hall on your left. (As you approach the Hall, avoid bearing right at the Park's western exit).
5. Park in the big parking lot just beyond the Hall.  We'll meet in our usual place for AOC Stone Mountain hikes beside the Restroom Building at the base of the Walk-up Trail.

LAT/LON COORDINATES of OUR WALK-UP TRAIL MEETING SPOT for your GPS or Google.com/maps destination (Use in conjunction with above directions): 33.8106,-84.1617

ALTERNATE DIRECTIONS for FREE STONE MTN VILLAGE PARKING & PARK ENTRANCE, with 6-MIN WALK or 2-MIN BIKE RIDE to our HIKE MEETING SPOT:
1. From I-285 exit #39B take the Stone Mtn Freeway (US-78) about 5.9 miles eastward (toward Stone Mtn, Snellville and Athens).
2. At Exit #5 bear Right onto the Memorial Drive/Stone Mountain Bypass, and go only about 0.6 mile—then bear Rightagain at your first opportunity up the E. Ponce de Leon Ave. access ramp.
3. Turn Left onto E. Ponce de Leon Ave. and go 0.5 mile to the first traffic light.
4. Turn Left onto James B. Rivers Memorial Drive (avoiding the sharper Silver Hill Rd left turn) and go just 3 blocks (not quite 0.2 mile) to 4th Street.
5. Turn Right onto 4th Street and go about 0.4 mile to the free MARTA parking lot on your left (crossing Mountain Street en route).
6. After parking, walk or ride your bike a half block back out to Mountain Street, turn Right, and proceed straight ahead about 0.3 mile and through the free Stone Mountain Park pedestrian/bicycle entrance gate at the end of Mountain Street. Continue straight ahead through the big parking lot to our meeting point by the restroom building near Confederate Hall.

CLICK HERE for STONE MTN TRAIL MAP:
http://www.stonemountainpark.org/images/ecosystem/trail%20map%202008%20for%20visitors%20at%20CHall.pdf

Photograph is courtesy of Kathryn Young.

I will cancel if adverse weather is in the forcast!