Saturday Morning at East Palisades

Want to stay in town yet get in a great hike on Saturday?  They don't get any better than the beautiful trails of East Palisades.  We'll start from the Whitewater Road entrance to the park and go as far as we can in about 2 hours.  We'll certainly pass through the enchanted bamboo forest and catch the rock overlook before we're done.  

This area has a lot of elevation change in some areas, and because of the pace, this would NOT be a good hike for beginners.  A moderate degree of fitness would certainly be necessary in order for you to keep up with the group.
 
East Palisades offers several miles of trails that connect to a scenic overlook that provide excellent views of the Devil's Racecourse Shoals.  The rugged granite palisades were called the Devil's Stairsteps during the 19th century by river boatmen because the shoals "were the devil" to navigate.  We will hike about five miles of the trails in this section of the Chattahoochee NRA including sections along the river as well as a few steep, rugged areas.  We will be hiking at a moderate to fast pace.

Please remember to bring $3 cash for the National Park Service parking fee, unless you have a Chattahoochee NRA annual pass.

If you bring your dog, it should be able to keep up with the group and interact well with other dogs and people. The Chattahoochee NRA requires that owners keep their dogs on a leash and clean up after their pets on the trails. A maximum of three dogs will be permitted on this hike.

We'll meet at the Whitewater Road entrance to the unit. 

From I -285 East
- Take exit 22, Northside Drive, New Northside Drive, Powers Ferry Road.
- Right on Northside Drive.
- Go through the Powers Ferry intersection for 1.6 miles to Harris Trail (Caution light).
- Right on Harris Trail and .9 mile to Whitewater Creek Road.
- Right and entrance will be on the right (.1 mile).

From I-285 West
- Take exit 22, Northside Drive, New Northside Drive, Powers Ferry Road.
- Straight to second traffic light.
- Left on Northside Drive, through the Powers Ferry Road intersection for 1.6 miles to Harris Trail (caution light).
- Right on Harris Trail and .9 miles to Whitewater Creek Road.
- Right and travel.1 mile to the entrance on the right.

From I-75 North
- Take exit 256, Mt. Paran Road.
- Right on Mt. Paran Road to first traffic light (Harris Trail)
- Left on Harris Trail to Whitewater Creek Road
- Right about .4 miles to the unit which is on the left.

From U.S. 41 (Cobb Highway South)
- Travel to Mt. Paran Road
- Right on Mt. Paran Road, go to the first traffic light (Harris Trail) and turn left.
- Go about .3 miles turn left onto Whitewater Creek Road.
- Go .4 miles to the unit, which is on the left.

From U.S. 41 (Cobb Highway North)
- Travel to Mt. Paran Road
- Turn left on Mt. Paran Road, go to the first traffic light (Harris Trail) and turn left.
- Go about .3 miles turn left onto Whitewater Creek Road.
- Go .4 miles to the unit, which is on the left.

http://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/whitewatercreek.htm

Remember to bring $3.00 cash for a parking pass, unless you have an annual pass to the CNRAreas.

Trail Map - http://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/upload/2006EastPalisadesB&W.pdf