Fall Color Photo Hike - Berry College Campus Sunset

Photo Hike: This hike will be geared toward the hiker that wants to balance exercise with the chance to enjoy the scenery. We'll take a moderate pace and allow for breaks at scenic spots. Photographers of all levels and abilities are welcome. Please bring your point and shoot camera, SLR, or other favorite camera. Click the following links for information on why leaves change colors in the fall and on general tips for photographing fall colors. For general info on photography, see photo.net.

Berry College Hiking Trails:
Berry College's beautiful and expansive campus attracts joggers, hikers, cyclists and horseback riders from the Rome area and beyond. Berry College campus is 26000 acres and is the largest college, geographically speaking, in the world. The campus has 40 miles of hiking trails that traverse rolling hills, lovely vistas, lake views, and gothic style architecture.

To start, we'll take the 7 mile mountain goat trail loop just north of the mountain campus. On this trail we'll pass the Berry College Resevoir, Old Mill Wheel, Possum Trot Church, and the House O Dreams. Once we complete the mountain trail hike, we'll drive three miles down to the main campus for a walk among the gothic campus architecture, Oak Hill House, and Oak Hill Gardens.

The plan is to take a moderate pace on the moutnain trail with a few stops for photos. The hike is moderate but there is about 300ft of elevation gain so some hills climbs could be strenuous. Then at the main campus, this will be walk around the campus stopping for photos. We will also allow for time to explore and photograph individually.

Old Mill Wheel - Built in 1930. One of the largest operational wooden overshot waterwheels anywhere at 42 feet in diameter.
The Possum Trot Church - The "cradle of Berry College." Built originally around 1850 and served as a school from 1900-1954.
House o' Dreams - Built in 1926 by staff and students as a mountain retreat for Miss Berry.
Ford Alumni Center - A gothic style, stone work building
Oak Hil - Historic home of Berry founder Martha Berry.
Oak Hill Historic Gardens - A Colonial revival garden designed between 1927 and 1933.

NOTE: Since I have not been on the campus before, this will be an exploritory trip. However, this is a well marked trail, we'll have good maps, and the campus isn't that large. With this in mind, please have a sense of adventure and openness to experience.

Free Downloadable Trail Map! Use the following link for the Berry College's trail maps and a virtual tour of the campus historic buildings.
Trail Map - http://www.berry.edu/recreation/ and click on campus maps.
Virtual Tour - http://www.berry.edu/vtour/ and click on the building for photos

If constant rain or severe thunderstorms are forecast, I may decide to postpone the event, in which case I'll try to notify everyone no later than Saturday Morning, Oct 29.