Hidden Gems of Stone Mountain: An afternoon adventure meeting in Free parking lot outside Park gates

IN a NUTSHELL:  The weather at Stone Mountain this Saturday afternoon is expected to be virtually ideal for hiking - about 60 degrees with clear skies.  Please jon me for this springlike moderately-paced "adventure hike:  We'll explore portions of at least SEVEN different trails over about 7 miles of varied terrain, stopping at times along the way to observe the wildlife and colorful wildflowers & trees.  Much of our planned route (more detail below) has only rarely been offered by the AOC and we'll enjoy some gorgeous scenic areas that don't appear on the Park map.  Exploring these "wilder" places can be fun and exciting for those who have been only on the most popular and well known marked trails.
  Perhaps too often we Atlantans "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 park has a fascinating human history as well, of which its gigantic Civil War memorial carving is but one part.

WHERE & WHEN:  We’ll gather a few minutes before 2:00 PM OUTSIDE the PARK GATES, in a FREE municipal parking area in the quaint old village of Stone Mountain.  (See detailed Directions & GPS Address Info below).  As pedestrian Park visitors we'll have FREE entrance via the nearby quarter-mile "PATH" Entrance Trail, similar to NW Atlanta's "Silver Comet."

HIKE PLAN:  During our ~3 hours together we'll hike a total distance of about 7 miles with about 1000 feet of total uphill elevation gains.  After introductions we’ll enter the Park on foot as discussed above via the half-mile paved "PATH" spur trail.  We'll then pick up the orange-blazed Connector Trail that will take us eastward to the green-blazed Nature Garden Trail.  While in that area we'll enjoy the special displays of native GA wildflowers, trees and shrubs.  We'll then enjoy a pretty lakeside trail through the Boy Scout campground that connects to the white-blazed Cherokee Trail.  After a short walk up the shoulder of Stonewall Jackson Drive we'll explore the Songbird Habitat Area via its lush Meadow Trail and Woods Trail.  From there we'll hike down to a waterfall on the Cherokee Trail via a lovely short unmarked creekside trail and continue clockwise (partly via the Cherokee) all the way around the mountain.  Off-trail stops will likely include the old Train Yard and the outdoor Quarry Museum.  The museum's fascinating displays depict the history of the mountain's granite quarrying industry, which thrived from the late 1800s until the 1960s.
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 arriving back to our vehicles in Stone Mtn village by 5:00 PM..
You're welcome to bring your well-behaved dog on the hike provided he/she is leashed and under your control at all times. Please so indicate in your signup notes if you'd like to bring a canine companion.

FOR PHOTOS from our 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

FOR  MORE about STONE MOUNTAIN and its TRAILS: Here are three links that may be useful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain
http://www.stonemountainpark.com/activities/recreation-golf/Hiking-Trails
http://www.stonemountainpark.com/faq/#Recreation

DIRECTIONS to our special Free Parking and Meetup Spot at corner of Manor Drive and 3rd Street in Stone Mtn Village:  (For hiking groups such as ours I like to meet there so members can take advantage of the always-free Park admission for pedestrians and bicyclists.  The Park entrance is just a 5-minute walk away.  It currently costs $15 per day to park inside the Park and $40 per year for their "annual" parking pass.  For a zoomable color online map & satellite view of our exact meetup spot and its surrounding area click on the rectangular blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.)

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.  Bear slightly rightward at the light onto Main Street and continue southward through Stone Mtn village for 0.3 mile to the corner of Manor Drive (1st left after the Main St/ Mountain St traffic light).
6.  Turn Left onto Manor Drive and go 2 short blocks to the corner of 3rd Street where we'll gather for the hike.  There are normally plenty of free municipal parking spots available at or near this corner. Look for me, Charlie, wearing a green & white Atlanta Outdoor Club T-Shirt.
GPS or MAPS.Google.com USERS:  To augment my above written directions you can enter as your Destination Address either of the following:
Lat/Lon of Meetup Spot:  33.8072,-84.1690
Approx. Street Address:  984 3rd St, Stone Mountain, GA

Free Event with Free Parking and Stone Mtn Park entrance!