Atlanta BeltLine & Piedmont Park Afternoon Hike

Please join us for this leisurely but adventurous afternoon hike in Midtown Atlanta along some of the lesser known portions of the Eastside Atlanta BeltLine and in the adjoining east side of Piedmont Park.
Free parallel parking is normally available along Elmwood Drive, a quiet residential street just east of Monroe Drive. (Please follow my precise Directions and Lat/Lon coordinates below.)  We'll gather for the hike at 2:00 PM on the sidewalk at the corner of Elmwood & Monroe.  Feel free to park elsewhere if you prefer (and walk to meet us there) but PLEASE BE ON TIME.

We'll explore the "wilder side" of both the Atlanta BeltLine and Piedmont Park.  Our BeltLine route will include some of the unpaved section just east of the Park from 10th street northward to I-85. While in Piedmont Park we'll visit the "Six Springs Wetlands" and some of the other lovely wooded pathways that adjoin the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Optional Post-Hike Refreshments & Light Dinner at "Octane Coffee!"  Thanks to Rebecca for suggesting this highly rated "hot spot" for an informal post-hike gathering.  It's in "The Jane" near Grant Park, just a couple of miles' drive southward from our meetup spot (via Monroe Dr & Boulevard).  They have a "throwback" bar with dated drinks and a tasty assortment of coffees, teas, sandwiches, ramen noodles, pastries, etc.  Should be fun!  Here's the address: 437 Memorial Drive, Suite A5, Atlanta, GA 30312.

Up to three well-behaved dogs will be permitted, provided that they are kept leashed and under the owner's control at all times.  If you plan to bring your dog please provide the details in your registration notes.

Feel free to split from the group at any time if you like, provided you let me know you're splitting.  I can easily direct you back to our Elmwood/Monroe meetup spot.

MORE about the ATLANTA BELTLINE:  This 22-mile loop around the heart of Atlanta provides among other things a convenient and attractive "urban greenway" for hikers, bicyclists, dog-walkers, etc. The official website, http://beltline.org/ states that "...This sustainable project is providing a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit by re-using 22-miles of historic railroad corridors circling downtown and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to each other."  Currently the only paved portion of the Beltline is "Eastside Trail" from the Monroe Drive/ 10th Street junction southward about 2.3 miles to Irwin Street.  Other portions of the loop will be improved over the next few years.  The entire 22 miles (and more) can already be enjoyed by hiking the gravel portions and their various spur trails. For more on these "interim trails" click this link: http://beltline.org/trails/interim-hiking-trails/
 The AOC has already sponsored hikes that have included at one time or another all of the paved and unpaved BeltLine sections, and no doubt will offer more frequent BeltLine hikes as more sections are improved.

MORE about PIEDMONT PARK:  Now more then 125 years old, it first became world famous in 1895 as the site of Atlanta's "Cotton States & International Exposition."  Volunteer members of the Piedmont Park Conservancy deserve much credit for the Park's dramatic improvements and excellent maintenance in recent years. The thriving Atlanta Botanical Garden in the NW corner of the Park has also been a big plus for the Park's popularity and reputation.  Check out http://piedmontpark.org/ for more information.  For an online Color Map of the 200+ acre park and its trails, click on this link: http://piedmontpark.org/visit/Park_Map_07-11-print.pdf

DIRECTIONS to CORNER of ELMWOOD DRIVE & MONROE DR, assuming you're PROCEEDING SOUTHWARD via INTERSTATE I-75 or I-85 toward DOWNTOWN ATLANTA:  (For a map of this meetup spot click on the Blue & Green "LOCATION" icon near the top of this article.)

1. As you near the I-75/ I-85 interchange (which is ~2 miles north of downtown Atlanta) get into the second lane from the right side of the Interstate.
2. Avoid exiting onto the other Interstate, but as you pass the interchange bear right toward I-75 Exit #84 and exit there (for "17th St, 14th St and 10th St").
3.  Then bear leftward along the access road (a.k.a."Techwood Drive") for about 0.3 mile to the traffic light at 10^th Street (bypassing 17^th St and 14^th St en route).
4. Turn Left onto 10th Street and go 1.3 miles eastward to the traffic light at Monroe Drive (crossing Peachtree St, Piedmont Rd, etc. en route).
5. Turn Left onto Monroe Drive and go just 0.2 mile northward to Elmwood Drive.
6. Turn Right onto Elmwood Drive where there is normally plenty of free parallel streetside parking in this quiet residential neighborhood. After you park walk back a few feet westward to the Elmwood/ Monroe corner where we'll meet on the sidewalk for the hike.  (This meetup spot is 1 block south of the traffic light at the Monroe and Park Drive. We can quickly access Piedmont Park and the BeltLine by walking westward on Park Drive.)

LAT/LON COORDINATES of ELMWOOD/MONROE "MEETUP CORNER" (GPS or Google Maps users can input this as your "Destination" to augment the above directions):  33.7847,-84.3677
The street address near this corner is 601 Elmwood Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Free event, with convenient free Parking on Elmwood Drive (suggested) just east of Monroe Drive.