On the Bookshelf - 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles - Atlanta

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Atlanta

Written by husband and wife Randy & Pam Golden with the American Hiking Society.

This is a great book for getting out of the house for an inexpensive, fun outing. My wife bought this for me for my birthday last year just after moving back to Atlanta from Charlotte. Our goal is to hike all of the trails in the book over the course of the next two years. That puts us at about one trail every two weeks. We've done about 8 hikes in 3 months which is behind schedule but the weekend weather has been chilly and we had to throw in some slack time during the holidays.

The book is divided into regions and hiking types at the beginning. The region is divided into Atlanta (hikes near downtown), Northwest, Northeast and South. Each region has about an equal number of hikes which makes this useful no matter what part of town you live in. They also classify the hikes by type; Busy Hikes, Hikes Featuring Waterfalls, Hikes Featuring Wildflowers, Hikes Good for Children, Hikes Good for Solitude, Hikes Good for Wildlife Viewing, Hikes With Steep Sections, Historic Trails, Lake Hikes, Scenic Hikes, Trails Good for Mountain Bikes, Trails Good for Runners, Urban Hikes, Hikes Less than 3 Miles, 3 to 6 Miles and Longer than 6 Miles. The one thing I wish they had added is a category of Hikes Good for Dogs. Dog lovers will have to check ahead.

Each hike has a map with an elevation chart. The writers provided directions as well as a section for At-a-Glance Information. The book also takes each hike and gives an 'In Brief' overview of the hike. This is followed by a couple page description of the hike with landmarks, points of interest, clarification of areas that may cause confusion as well as historical information. Each hike ends with a brief section of nearby attractions.

Our next planned hike is Kennesaw Mountain: Burnt Hickory Loop. The "In Brief" on this hike is that it "is the most challenging trail in the book and one of the most rewarding in the Atlanta area." We're looking forward to this one and you'll probably see a post on it in the near future.

The GreenPeaches rating on this one is a 4 out of 5 peaches. Buy it from Amazon if you are interested or try your local library to see if it is available there.



mdh

Getting to Know.. Georgia's State Parks

As Georgian's we are very fortunate to have a diverse range of regions. We have beaches, coastal plains, foothills, canyons, mountains and much more. We are also lucky to have a very robust state park system. The Georgia State Park network has over 40 parks and many more historic sites that protect nearly 75,000 acres. These parks provide a great opportunity for a family outing or just a reconnection with nature and/or the history and culture of our state. Many of the parks are just a short drive from metro Atlanta. Click here for a state map.

Some of the most popular parks within driving distance of Atlanta are Amicalola Falls, Vogel and Sweetwater Creek. The falls at Amicalola are the tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River and are absolutely beautiful. Additionally, there are numerous trails to hike around the 800+ acre park. At Vogel State Park, you can see some of the most picturesque scenes in all of Georgia. The park is at the base of Blood Mountain and offers some of the best camping in the state. With lake and mountain views, this one is a must visit. Sweetwater Creek is perhaps more famous right now for the beer that shares its name but the park is as good as if not better than the beer. The creek is a nice setting for relaxing, fishing or feeding ducks but our favorite part is the visitor center which is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Georgia. It is LEED - NC Platinum certified which is the highest rating that the US Greenbulding Council gives.

Sprawl has been and continues to be an issue for many of the parks around metro areas. The National Park Trust has been evaluating and working on these issues for more than a decade. Unfortunately, many of our parks in the metro area have already been encroached upon by commercial and residential development. The current economic crisis is impacting reparis and maintenance in the parks and we should expect to see continued cutbacks with proposed budget shortfalls.

Regardless of these issues, our park system is robust and is there to be enjoyed by everyone in Georgia. Get out and go for a hike and don't forget to bring your camera (with charged batteries).

Look for upcoming posts featuring many of our state parks and their surrounding areas.


Additional Info..

Website - www.gastateparks.org

Park pass - $30/year or generally $3/day for parking

Pets - Most of the parks offer hiking and I have found that they are usually dog friendly. It is always a good idea to check ahead to be sure if you are bringing your canine companion. Many of the parks offer camping and some offer RV hookups if that is your style.

Related Groups and Organizations - Friends of Georgia State Parks, Get Outdoors Georgia

The BeltLine - Take a Tour!

We took a tour of the proposed BeltLine on Saturday morning. The tours have been very popular and we were very fortunate to get a reservation. The 2008 tours are booked but they plan to accept bookings for 2009 tours in mid Jan. Keep an eye on the "get involved" section of the BeltLine website.

The tour bus was almost filled to capacity but all in all it was a very comfortable experience. In my opinion, this really is a fantastic way to see the future of transit in Atlanta and you will also learn some interesting facts and a bit of history while your at it. It's tough to beat given that it is free. Additionally, the tour guide, Heather Hussey-Coker, was excellent and provides a wealth of knowledge about the project and the city.

If you are not very familiar with the BeltLine project, you won't find an indepth explanation in this post. Just check out the BeltLine website. In brief, it is a proposed 22 mile loop of light rail transit around the city of Atlanta that will connect ~48 neighborhoods to area businesses, parks and civic institutions. It is expected to spur residential and commercial development along the corridor. Additionally, there are 33 miles of walking/cycling trails that are planned. These will follow the rail line in most places but will diverge in some areas. One of the really great things about the project is that much of the infrastructure already exists in the form of historic rail lines that encircle atlanta. Most of those rail lines are inactive but some are still active. It will take some negotiation with the companies that use these lines before we know for certain exactly what the final route will be.

The tour is about 3 hours and it takes you through a very well planned route that zig zags clockwise around Atlanta following what will eventually be the route of the BeltLine. You receive a map and informaiton packet that will help you follow along with the tour.

As stated earlier, the tour was very interesting and informative. Having lived in the Atlanta area for about 8 years, I thought I knew a lot about the city but Heather quickly proved that there is still a lot for me to learn. Some of the more interesting parts of the tour include:

- Learning that a Ga Tech grad student came up with the idea for one of his graduate projects.

- A stop at what will be the new Westside Resovoir Park (formerly Bellwood Quarry) with a question answer session about the quarry that will be turned into an emergency water supply for the city. We can definitely use 2.4 Billion gallons which will supply Atlanta for 30 days.

- Seeing D.H. Stanton Park and learning about the environmental problems that existed at that site and what is being done to clean the area up and potentially expand the park along the rail line.

- Seeing the significant number of old abandoned sites along the line that will present opportunity for development. Some of these were the old Georgia State Farmer's Market, the 31 acre property owned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation along University Ave. and the Exide Battery Plant

- Potential combined BeltLine & Marta stations.

- The large amount of mixed use development along Huff Rd. We love this kind of development and feel that the BeltLine will spark more of it around the corridor.

These aren't the only things you will see/notice on the tour but I think they are all notable to the green minded residents of Atlanta. Although there will be challenges as this vision moves toward reality, we believe this is a project that should be supported and embraced by the area. It will set an example for the rest of the country to follow on how to creatively use existing infrastructure to improve the lives of the residents.

Thanks to the BeltLine Partnership for the well orgainzed and delivered tour!

The Big Creek Greenway - Alpharetta

Alpharetta's Big Creek Greenway is a well maintained trail that runs 6.15 miles (10km) along the Big Creek.  It is a concrete trail that meanders gently through the woods just to the east of North Point Parkway.  The path is great for walking, jogging, biking or rollerblading.  It is pet friendly but be sure to always pick up your pet waste.

 This trail is in a suburban environment so you won't get the wildlife that you might if you were out in a national forest but what it lacks in wildlife, it makes up for in convenience.  You can run into deer, blue heron, ducks and Canadian geese from time to time.  We did run across a fairly long black snake on a recent outing.  It is ealsily accessible from GA400 and has three parking lots for access.  The parking lots generally have restroom facilities (portable toilets) as well.

Hours are 8am until dusk daily.  For more info, visit the City of Alpharetta Website or GeorgiaTrails.com

Access Points

• Haynes Bridge Road: From North Point Parkway, go 1/5 mile south on Haynes B
  ridge Road. A parking lot is on the east/left side of Haynes Bridge Road across from the Archstone Apartments.
• North Point Mall: Driving northbound on North Point Parkway halfway between Mansell and Haynes Bridge Roads, find the greenway sign directly across from Haverty's Furniture.Parking is located in a wooded area. Restrooms are available at that location. 800 feet south of this entrance is the NorthPoint Village retail center. Wal
  k behind the shops to the stairway that leads to the wetlands mulch trail. Note: The stairs are not A.D.A. accessible.
• Kimball Bridge Road: Located 1/4 mile southeast of North Point Parkway, across from New Prospect Elementary School.Parking is allowed at the school during hours when school is not in session (weekends, after hours on school days,and during the summer.)
• Alpharetta YMCA: From Old Milton Parkway, go 1/4 mile north on North Point Parkway to Preston Ridge Road and turn right toward the YMCA.