Evening Hike at Emory Lullwater Park

IN A NUTSHELL:  The weather is expected to be nice this Tue evening, so please join me for this leisurely paced hike at Emory, conveniently located in NE Atlanta.  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 network of scenic trails.  Attractions include Lullwater Park & Estate with its beautiful Candler Lake, old mill ruins and waterfalls, a 210-foot-long swinging footbridge over Peachtree Creek, blooming native plants & wildflowers, sightings of songbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and occasionally even wild otters!

WHEN & WHERE?  We’ll gather at 6:15 PM in the FREE Clifton School parking lot at 1900 Starvine Way—see detailed Directions below and click on the rectangular blue & green "Event Location" icon above for a zoomable color map & satellite view. CAUTION:  Be sure to enter Starvine Way from Clairmont Road since Starvine's other end on Emory's main campus is restricted to Emory Campus buses!  We have permission to use this convenient lot at no charge on evenings and weekends.

EVENT PLAN:  After introducing ourselves we’ll begin the hike there at Clifton School and explore the parklands and lake of Lullwater Estate, then hike both sides of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek with a thrilling crossing of the swinging footbridge pictured above.  After visiting Hahn Woods Park we'll return via the creekside trails - should be back at the cars well before dark - no later than 8:30 PM.  Feel free to "split early" if you like, but let us know - it's easy to return on your own to your car.   We'll take a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to regroup and for photo-ops at several scenic spots—about 5 miles total.

Emory's park property is very popular among dog lovers. We'll permit up to three well-behaved dogs on this AOC event provided they're leashed and under their owner's control at all times. If you'd like to bring your dog please make a note of that in your online event registration.

FOR NICE 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 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 go to:
http://www.environment.emory.edu/ecology/lullwater.shtml

DIRECTIONS from the "SPAGHETTI JUNCTION" I-85 / I-285 INTERCHANGE in NE Metro Atlanta (Also for a zoomable color map & satellite view of the spot where we'll meet click on the rectangular 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" on your Right.  We'll meet near the steel & stone gate that blocks further passage along Starvine Way.  Its signs say "Authorized Entry Only."

CAUTION for GPS USERS!  As directed above, 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

No Charge—Free Event with Free Parking!