She’ll be Coming Around the Mountain: Stone Mt. Cherokee Trail

it promises to be an excellent day to circumnavigate the mountain!  (But then, every day is a good one for a hike on the Cherokee Trail!)

We'll hike the 5 mile Cherokee Trail at a moderately brisk pace (faster side of moderate). This is not a fitness hike, but not a stroll in the park, either; we plan to finish the 5 miles in 2 hours or less.  There's a hike immediately following this one up the mountain, so we can't be late!  (If you can sign up for the sunset hike, please do!  It's a separate event.)

We'll meet at the restrooms near Confederate Hall (West Entrance to the park) and hike clockwise around the mountain, ending with a walk through the Nature Center.  

We will leave promptly at 5:45 pm, so please arrive 5-10 minutes early to check in and meet your fellow hikers.  If you're running late, you are welcome to try to catch up with us.  Our route will be clockwise around the trail.  If you're late and planning to catch up, please phone me to let me know you're in the park.

Parking for Stone Mountain is $10 if you don't have an annual pass ($35).  If you want to save the parking fee, parking is usually available on the surface roads outside the park, but if you choose to park there, please be sure to allow time to get to the bathhouse on time.

Dogs are permitted on the Cherokee Trail, but they're not allowed to go up the mountain.  Keep this in mind if you think you'd like to do the sunset hike.

GPS  Coordinates: 33.81076800026398, -84.16212379932403

Parking in the park lot:  $10 

Directions: To the main entrance- From I-285 take U.S. Hwy 78 East (Snellville/Athens) exit. Travel about 7 miles and take Exit 8, the Stone Mountain Park Main Entrance. After entering the main entrance, proceed straight ahead. The road will fork at 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’ll meet at the bathhouse on the other side of the lot from the Confederate Hall.

You can also enter through the West Gate entrance  in Stone Mountain Village, which puts you right at the parking lot we'll be using.  If you enter here, turn right through the gate and you're just about in the Confederate Hall parking lot.  We'll be on the right (as you look at the mountain) at the bathhouse.

Additional directions and maps can be found at: 

http://stonemountainpark.com/default.aspx

Remember to bring $10 for parking in the Confederate Hall lot unless you have an annual pass.  An annual pass is $35 - - a good investment if you think you might visit the park three or more times during the year.