NOTE: This event is planned for AOC members who wish to spend at least one night Camping with us (at no charge) in Dahlonega at "TrailFest." Note that a "Saturday Day Trip" is being posted separately for members who don't wish to spend Friday or Saturday night and those registrants will be welcome to join with us for our group activities during the day on Sat Mar 28th.
WHAT IS TRAILFEST? Just 50 miles north of Atlanta, the historic "gold rush" town of Dahlonega is a "stone's throw" from the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail and is widely known as the friendly "gateway city" to the legendary 2200-mile-long footpath. Each March Dahlonega celebrates the new hiking season by hosting on its town square a wonderful free event called "TrailFest." Produced by hardworking local volunteers, the festival honors the hundreds of northbound AT thru-hikers (a.k.a."NoBos") who are beginning their quest - most of them in March - to backpack all the way from nearby Springer Mountain, GA to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. There's no shortage of exciting attractions at TrailFest including fascinating outdoor-related presentations, live music, arts & crafts displays, delicious food & refreshments and much more! Click here for specifics about the amazing 2015 festival and then click "Program" for this year's weekend-long schedule of presentations, live music performances, etc: http://DahlonegaTrailfest.org/
AOC WEEKEND PLAN: Our Dahlonega friends who host TrailFest have kindly invited the AOC to participate and are offering us up to 3 days and 2 nights of free intown Tent Camping! (See more details & directions below. There's no need to bring much in the way of personal food & refreshments since there's such an amazing variety of restaurants & cafes within a 5-minute walk from our campsite!
Our Dahlonega hosts have also offered us free TrailFest booth space where we can set up our AOC "outreach and information tent." There we can enjoy the jovial atmosphere of the town square and "spread the gospel" about what a fine Club we have (side-by-side with like-minded partners such as the Len Foote Hike Inn and GA Appalachian Trail Club). Both at our AOC booth and at nearby "Woody Gap" on the AT we intend to build on the AOC tradition of "Trail Magic," i.e. by being "good-samaritan volunteers" and sharing various tasty goodies, useful small items, etc. with AT thru-hikers and wiith other outdoor enthusiasts whom we'd like to encourage to become AOC members and supporters. (A list of specific suggested donated items will be emailed to all registrants.)
Bobby and I (Charlie) hope you can join us, not only for one or more nights of camping but also for pitching in from time to time at our AOC TrailFest booth and by adding your own personal touch to our volunteer efforts. We intend also to organize at least two optional scenic Group Hikes - one in the Dahlonega area - the other on the AT in conjunction with a "Woody Gap" Trail Magic excursion. More details about these optional activities will be emailed to confirmed participants and in the interim we welcome your comments and suggestions!
We intend to go ahead with this event Rain or Shine, esp. since we can so easily find shelter in the event of severe weather.
MORE CAMPING DETAILS: Feel free to drive up and set up your tent, etc. as early as noon Friday and to head for home as late as Sunday evening. Our AOC group will have free tent space and free nearby parking in a partially shaded schoolyard just 2 or 3 blocks north of TrailFest. Click the square blue & green "Event Location" icon above for a zoomable map and satellite view of of this campsite location - also see below easy precise Directions from metro Atlanta. Public Restrooms and potable Water for campers are available nearby at Hancock Park, two blocks toward the town square. Hot showers are available at the Univ. of North GA a few blocks west of the town square. A few more details will be emailed to all AOC registrants and for TrailFest's official "Camping" webpage click here: http://dahlonegatrailfest.org/camping.html
We intend to leave the group campsite in even better condition when we depart than when we arrive - also we plan to observe "quiet hours" late at night in the interest of making the experience as enjoyable as possible for all TrailFest campers.
LOCAL DAHLONEGA HIKING TRAILS: I suggest that at some time over the weekend we explore one or more of the pretty trail networks that directly adjoin the town. Here are links to writeups for three such areas that have scenic trails, and each webpage has a link to lots of nice photos:
1. YAHOOLA CREEK PARK (2 mi. E of town): http://www.tripleblaze.com/hiking-trails/Georgia/Yahoola-Creek-Park_2348
2. YAHOOLA CREEK RESERVOIR (2 mi. NE of town): http://www.tripleblaze.com/hiking-trails/Georgia/Yahoola-Creek-Reservoir_1334
3. UNIV. of NORTH GA CAMPUS TRAIL (1 mi. W of town): http://www.tripleblaze.com/hiking-trails/Georgia/NGCSU-Athletic-Complex_2592
SPECIAL THANKS to our friend Tom Lamb, the chief organizer of Dahlonega TrailFest - also to AOC Director of Events John LaBelle who facilitated our connecting and working with Tom to plan and offer this excitingly different AOC event. |
Required Items to Bring:
- Comfortable Clothing and Footwear appropriate for the weather forecast.
- Camping Gear of your choice including your Tent (or Hammock System), Sleeping Bag, Camp Chair, etc. (A couple of our chairs may also be useful at our AOC "Outreach Tent" over the weekend.)
- Food, Refreshments & Supplies of your choice (keeping in mind that numerous excellent restaurants, cafes, etc. are within a few blocks walk or a 5-minute drive from the campsite). |  | Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.
- Food & Drink Cooler with your favorite beverages, pre-prepared snacks, plenty of ice, etc.
- "Trail Magic" small donated Items to share with AT Thru-Hikers and other Trailfest attendees. (Bobby and I will email a list of specific suggested items to all registered AOCers.) | |
| Event Directions: | | DIRECTIONS to DAHLONEGA TRAILFEST GROUP CAMPING AREA from the GA-400 / I-285 INTERCHANGE on ATLANTA'S NORTH SIDE:
1. From the north-side GA-400/ I-285 Interchange take GA-400 North for about 47 miles to its official end at the GA-60 junction near Dahlonega. (En route note that a convenient meetup spot for carpoolers is the Park & Ride lot at the GA-400 Mansell Rd exit in Roswell/Alpharetta - about 9 miles north of I-285.)
2. Turn Left at the traffic light onto GA-60 toward Dahlonega and stay on it about 5.1 miles to the traffic light at GA-52.
3. Continue straight ahead at the light onto S Chestatee Street, go just 0.5 mile, and bear slightly rightward at the Dahlonega town square.
4. Turn Left onto N Park Street and go just 3 more city blocks to the intersection of N Park and Jones Street (1 block beyond Hawkins St) and look for the TrailFest camping area behind the school there. If the school parking lot is full when you arrive you you should be able to find nearby streetside parking. Public Restrooms and potable Water are available nearby at Hancock Park, two blocks toward the town square.
5. Don't hesitate to ask for help with parking, setting up your tent, etc. I (Charlie) have volunteered to serve as "campsite manager" this year for TrailFest and will be glad to assist you if I'm there when you arrive. Please be sure to observe the camping rules and guidelines which we'll send all registrants. No fires! - and please do your part to keep the campsite and neat and clean and help us properly dispose of trash, etc.
FOR a ZOOMABLE MAP or SATELLITE VIEW of the CAMPING AREA click on the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.
GPS and MAPS.GOOGLE.com USERS: Feel free to augment the above written directions by entering the following Lat/Lon coordinates as your "Destination Address" for the TrailFest group camping area: 34.53473,-83.98711 | |
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