Bear Creek Backcountry Trail - Cloudland Canyon

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Bear Creek Backcountry Trail - Cloudland Canyon

The Basics:

Event Type:

Hike

Event Location:

Cloudland Canyon State Park

Date(s) & Time:

Sun, Jan 6 2013 8:00 am >> Sun, Jan 6 2013 8:00 pm (Carpool Departure: 8:00 am *log in for location*)

Registration Opens:

Sun, Dec 9 2012 9:00 pm

Registration Cut Off:

Fri, Jan 4 2013 2:00 pm

Event Duration:

12 Hours

Difficulty Rating:

D5: Difficult (Exploratory)

Distance:

13 Miles

Pace:

Moderate

Trip Leader(s):

Jimmy
Kelly
Thomas W.

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Member Cost:

None

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, 21 And Older Only

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

15 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Yes

Note: This is an "EXPLORATORY" trip. This means that there are parts of this trip, or perhaps the whole trip, that is new to your Trip Leader(s). However, they are confident that this will not be an issue.
This note is here so that you can make an informed decision. When a Trip Leader isn't personally familiar with a trip, there is an increased chance of things not going as planned and you need to be prepared. The Trip Leader may have additional details in the itinerary.

Itinerary:

Join us for an exploratory hike to the "newly reopened" Bear Creek Backcountry Trail at Cloudland Canyon. Starting from the parking area down the road south of the G3 Building in the park, we will first start on the red blazed "Backcountry Loop" going counterclockwise until we pick up the orange blaze of the main Bear Creek Trail.

From there, we will head down and cross Bear Creek (we will cross this creek again coming back) and go counterclockwise once we reach the "sweet spot" of this lollipop trail. :)

Along the way, we should see different views of the canyon from what you normally see on the other side hiking the West Rim trail (which we will not do on this trip).

After we return to our cars, we will drive a short distance inside the park to hike down the stairs (and back up afterward!) to go see the two signature waterfalls here -- Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls.

The exploratory nature of this backcountry trail plus the hike down and back up the stairs to see the two waterfalls should make this a solid D5 event. Although your trip leaders have hike most of the trails in this park, because they have not hiked this particular trail before, please be prepared to hike a few extra miles if we miss a turn or two. We will have good maps on hand. :)

If you have not recently completely a D5 event with the AOC, the trip leaders will contact you to see if this event is appropriate for you.

On the drive home or when we return to the park and ride, we will stop for dinner if the group desires. :)

Required Items to Bring:

Plenty of fluids for adequate hydration
Trail Snacks and/or light lunch
Good hiking shoes/boots

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Water shoes (for the 2 possible creek crossings)
Hiking poles
Camera

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

To be provided at the carpool.

Cloudland Canyon State Park
122 Cloudland Canyon Park Rd.
Rising Fawn , GA 30738

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):

200Mile(s)

Carpool Departure Time:

8:00 am

Carpool Location:

Carpool Directions:

Carpool Cost:

Estimated cost per vehicle for this event is $80.00 using a reimbursement rate guideline of $0.400 per mile. The total amount should be divided by the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver. This is a guideline, not a rule, for drivers but the cost should not be higher unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Notes:

From Georgia Department of Natural Resources

PUBLIC NOTICE: The bridge on Hwy. 136 in Walker County between Cloudland Canyon and LaFayette is currently being worked on by DOT. A detour is in place and DOT indicates the bridge will be closed for at least another year. We apologize for the inconvenience.

* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance: Please review the AOC cancellation policy.
*Note:

** This event has been rescheduled from Sunday, December 16, 2012 to Sunday, January 6, 2013 due to increment weather. **