Stone Mountain Midday Adventure Hike with free Parking & Park Entrance

IN a NUTSHELL:   Perhaps too often we Georgians "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.
 Wednesday is shaping up to be the nicest day all week for a hike:  Sunny and in the 50s with virtually no wind.  On this moderately-paced "D3 Adventure Hike" we'll enjoy portions of at least SEVEN different trails and stop occasionally along the way to observe the scenery and wildlife.  Much of our planned route (more detail below) has only rarely been offered by the AOC and we'll enjoy some interesting scenic areas that are not shown 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.

WHERE & WHEN:  We’ll gather at 12:00 Noon in the FREE parking lot of the "Red Caboose" Welcome Center, OUTSIDE THE PARK! in the quaint Village of Stone Mountain (detailed directions below).  As pedestrian Park visitors we'll have FREE entrance via the quarter-mile "PATH" Entrance Trail, similar to NW Atlanta's "Silver Comet."

HIKE PLAN:  I expect that during our 3+ hours together we'll hike a total distance of about 7 miles with no more than 500 feet of total uphill elevation gain.  After introductions we’ll hike into the Park from Stone Mtn Village 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.  Our off-trail stops will 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 at the "Caboose" by about 3:30 PM - before the rush-hour traffic gets bad.
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 ON STONE MOUNTAIN and its TRAILS: Here are three links that might be useful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain
http://www.stonemountainpark.com/faq/#Recreation
http://www.stonemountainpark.com/images/maps/hiking/smp_map_hiking_map.gif

DIRECTIONS TO OUR SPECIAL MEETING PLACE:
"RED CABOOSE" WELCOME CENTER OUTSIDE the PARK in the Village of Stone Mountain: (For a zoomable color online map & satellite view of our exact meeting 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 about 0.5 mile to the Red Caboose Welcome Center and parking lot on your Left,   (It's just beyond the traffic light at Mimosa Drive and adjoins the Police Station.)
   
6.  Free parking is normally available near the Caboose, and in the event that these spaces are filled there's more nearby free parking on Main Street and its adjoining side streets in Stone Mtn Village.

GPS or GOOGLE.com/Maps USERS:  To augment the above written directions to our "Caboose Lot" meetup spot, enter as your destination either of the following.
Lat/Lon:              33.8053,-84.1700
Street Address:  891 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Free Event with Free Parking!