After work hike - Stone Mountain by moonlight

It's a shame that we lose the afterwork hikes when daylight savings times ends,so we'll try this one.  Short notice, but lets see if anyone is up for a hike up Stone Mountain with just the moonlight to guide our way.

To elaborate, we will be going up the gravel service road that runs roughly parallel to the main (more rocky) trail.  So it is safer and much easier footing.  Once we get to the little shelter where the gravel road ends, we will most likely need headlamps for a safe ascent from there.  But maybe not...depends on where the moon is and how well our eyes have adjusted.

The full moon is in a few days but doing this hike then wouldn't work unless we got started a two or three hours after sunset.  You want a fairly large bright moon, but need it high in the sky where it can light the trail and not near the horizon where it cannot. 

The moon will be 93% illuminated on Thurs...and moonrise will be at 3:28PM, so that will give it a couple of hrs to get high in the sky above our trail.   Weds might have been the perfect day for this, but it should still work one day later and the moon will be brighter too.

We will hike to the top and enjoy the lights of metro ATL surrounding us...downtown looks really cool all lit up.  We can do a little 1/2 hike around the eastern side of the mtn while we are up there...it will be kind of chilly so want to keep moving.  Again, we will probably want to use headlamps or flashlights for this part.

Then we can head down the same way we came up and shouldn't need headlamps again and can just walk down the mountain in the moonlight...should be nice.

We will meet near the start of the walk-up trail near the parking lot beside Confederate Hall. There is a $10 fee to drive into the Park; however, free parking is available in Stone Mountain Village. See directions below...

If you would like to try the free public parking, there is a Marta Park and Ride on Fourth Street in Stone Mountain Village. From there it is a less than a half mile walk on East Mountain Street into the Park and you will end up right at the start of the walk-up trail where we are meeting.


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Additional directions and maps can be found at:
http://stonemountainpark.com/default.aspx

To the main entrance- From I-285 take U.S. Hwy 78 East (Snellville/Athens) exit. Travel about 7 miles and take Exit 8.  After entering the Park, proceed straight ahead. The road will fork in about 1 mile - stay to the right. Continue to follow the road for another mile. Confederate Hall will be on your left. The parking lot will be immediately after. We will meet behind Confederate Hall, right outside of the railroad track and near the restrooms...at the start of the walk up trail.