Lullwater Park Evening Hike w/ brief tour of Emory campus building

IN a NUTSHELL:  Please join us for this easy-to-moderate hike by the lovely creeks and lakes in the shady parklands at Emory University.  This event features a different and interesting bonus!  Aaron works at Emory in a beautiful new campus building which is directly along our hike route, and he'll treat us to a fascinating half-hour tour.
Emory University's Lullwater Park and its adjoining Hahn Woods are prized by hikers and joggers as "crown jewels" of Emory's extended campus in NE Atlanta.  The 185-acre forested nature preserve boasts a huge trails network.  We'll explore Lullwater Park & Estate with its beautiful Candler Lake, old mill ruins, waterfalls, and cross Peachtree Creek via a 210- foot swinging bridge!  Along the way we'll enjoy the beautiful native plants & wildflowers,  waterfowl and songbirds.  On past hikes here we've occasionally spotted large raptors and even wild otters!    

WHEN & WHERE?  We’ll gather at 6:00 PM in the FREE Clifton School parking lot at 1900 Starvine Way—see Directions below and  for a zoomable map & satellite view click on the square blue & green "Event Location icon" above.  We have permission to use this convenient lot for free on evenings and weekends. CAUTION:  Be sure to enter Starvine Way from Clairmont Road since its western end (toward Emory's main campus) is restricted to Emory Campus buses!

EVENT PLAN:   After introducing ourselves we’ll begin the hike at the Clifton School and continue around the lovely parklands and lake of Lullwater Estate, then explore both sides of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek with a thrilling walk over the suspension bridge.  During our walk through a pretty part of the Emory campus we'll enjoy Aaron's guided tour of the new building.  After visiting Hahn Woods on the western end of the parklands we should easily be back at the cars before dark - about 9:00 PM.   We'll take a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to regroup and to shoot photos at several scenic spots— about 5 miles total hiking distance.

FOR PHOTOS from our JAN 2011 AOC HIKE at LULLWATER PARK:
Check out Scott & Laura Erich's Picasa SmugMug photo album at the following link:
http://www.jauntsaroundtheworld.com/Atlanta-Outdoor- Club/2011-01-23-Hahn-Woods-Atlanta/

FOR MORE on EMORY'S BEAUTIFUL CREEKSIDE PARKLANDS including fascinating OLD PHOTOS & HISTORY:   Check out from the library David R. Kaufman's excellent book, "Peachtree Creek: a Natural and Unnatural History of Atlanta's Watershed," and for an interactive park/campus map go to:  http://map.emory.edu/

Thanks to Mark Reffett for his "promo shot" above of the Lullwater Park suspension footbridge and to our friends at the Clifton School, for permission to use their great free lot!   -Charlie

CAUTION for GPS USERS!   As directed below, be sure to enter Starvine Way from Clairmont Road  since its western end is restricted to Emory Campus buses!  You may wish to augment these directions by entering as your GPS or Google.com/maps destination the following Address or Lat/Lon of the Clifton School parking lot:
  Street Address: 1900 Starvine Way, Atlanta, GA 30322
  Lat/ Lon Coordinates: 33.7953,-84.3115

DIRECTIONS from the "SPAGHETTI JUNCTION" I-85 / I- 285 INTERCHANGE in NE Metro Atlanta (Also for a zoomable color map or satellite view of the spot where we'll meet click on the square blue & green "Event Location icon" near the top of this article.)

1. From "Spaghetti Jcn" take I-85 South toward Atlanta about 4 miles and exit at Exit #91 "Clairmont Road."

2. Turn Left onto Clairmont Road (US-23 southeastward toward Decatur) and go about 3.2 miles to the traffic light at Starvine Way (The Starvine light is less than a quarter mile past the huge VA Hospital and is just north of the RR bridge over Clairmont.)

3. Turn Right onto Starvine Way and go 0.4 mile (through Emory's "Clairmont Campus" and a couple of stop signs) to the "Clifton School" parking lot on your Right.  We'll meet near the steel & stone gate that blocks further passage along Starvine Way.  Its signs say "Authorized Entry Only."

No Charge—Free Event with Free Parking!