8.5 mile hike at Arabia Mountain-New route

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8.5 mile hike at Arabia Mountain-New route

The Basics:

Event Type:

Hike

Event Location:

Murphy Candler Elementary School

Hike: 8.5 mile hike at Arabia Mountain-New route

Date(s) & Time:

Sat, May 25 2024 9:00 am >> Sat, May 25 2024 12:15 pm

Registration Opens:

Sat, May 18 2024 2:00 pm

Registration Cut Off:

Sat, May 25 2024 6:00 am

Event Duration:

3 Hours 15 Minutes

Difficulty Rating:

D3: Moderate (Exploratory)

Distance:

8.5 Miles

Pace:

Moderate

Trip Leader(s):

Chuck M

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Member Cost:

None

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, 21 And Older Only

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

12 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Yes

Note: This is an "EXPLORATORY" trip. This means that there are parts of this trip, or perhaps the whole trip, that is new to your Trip Leader(s). However, they are confident that this will not be an issue.
This note is here so that you can make an informed decision. When a Trip Leader isn't personally familiar with a trip, there is an increased chance of things not going as planned and you need to be prepared. The Trip Leader may have additional details in the itinerary.

Itinerary:

Come join me in an exploratory hike in the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve in East DeKalb County. This jewel of a park is a premier location for cycling, and it also has some very nice hiking trails. Most of the hiking trails are short, tied together by a multi-use PATH, so most hikes here spend time on concrete and boardwalk going between the various trails. The route I have drawn for this hike avoids the paved PATH almost entirely. My mapping program says this route is 8.5 miles with about 1,000 feet of climbing but it could be more or less, so bring your sense of adventure and be flexible. We will go slow enough to enjoy the sights and take a photo or two, somewhere around 2.6 to 2.8 mph. And I may check out nearby trails we pass.

This new route I've drawn starts at Murphy Candler Elementary School. We begin by going down the paved PATH about a tenth of a mile to the Laurel Creek Trail. We will take that loop trail for about a mile before joining the paved PATH again. After a tenth of a mile on pavement, we will turn onto the Boomerang Trail. After about a mile we will turn off onto the Wilborn Farm Trail. We will continue on the Wilborn Farm Trail for about 2.5 miles before crossing the PATH onto the Cascade Trail. We will go out and back about 3 miles on that trail before returning to the Wilborn Farm trail. We will take a few unnamed trails back and forth over the Wilborn Farm trail before re-joining it and returning to the start, taking the remainder of the Laurel Creek Trail's loop. Very little of our hike will be on level concrete and not much on exposed granite. I think we will be glad we checked this close-to-town gem!

Up to two well-behaved dogs on leash (as required by the park) are welcome.

Required Items to Bring:

Shoes with good traction

Water

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Hiking poles if you use them

Sunscreen

Snacks

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

Murphy Candler Elementary School is near the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve in East DeKalb County just south of I-20. Because construction and traffic in that area changes which route is best, I won't describe how to drive there. Just use this address in your GPS. We will meet in the first parking lot on your left after turning onto South Goddard Road. One warning: don't confuse South Goddard Road with North Goddard road!

6775 S Goddard Rd
Lithonia, GA

Notes:

Because this is a nature preserve, please stay on the trail and do not disturb or remove anything.

* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance: Please review the AOC cancellation policy.