I’ve got to spend a day or two in Atlanta in January, and I’m trying to take advantage of the situation and make it into a week-long vacation, go down with my gf, bring the bikes down, spend the time outdoors - some long rides, some running, some hiking. And I’m looking for advice on where I could/should stay.
The ideal place would be somewhere north of Atlanta, or possibly near Athens (if east) or near the Appalachian trail (if west). Nice town centers with good restaurants a plus. Within 2 hours of Atlanta is also key.
Thanks for any advice. I don’t know the south at all.
I don’t know a lot about this, but I hear great things about the Silver Comet Trail which is a huge rails-to-trails project that runs from somewhere northwest of the city of Atlanta, all the way to the Alabama border with a paved bike trail. Apparently it goes through some very scenic countryside, through tunnels and over tall trestles, etc. Do a google search on Silver Comet Trail and I’m sure you’ll find interesting details. If you’re in Athens on a Saturday in January, you may want to try the Winter Bike League. It’s a huge group ride thing that draws all the regional bike racers and wannabes. In January, some of the rides go for 100 miles and more, but usually with shorter options. They can be intense and you won’t want to show up on your tri bike. You can google on Winter Bike League and you’ll find it.
You may want to head up to Dahlohega. There’s great hiking up there along the AP trail and it’s where the start of the six gap century takes place. If you like biking up mountains, you’ll be in heaven.
Run up Stone Mountain, a classic…and run down and around the lake, back to your car, should be about a 1:30 FUN run…at any pace.
Also there is fantastic riding nearby, very popular with the roadies and triathletes. Call any bike shop in ATL.
This is if you don’t want to drive too far from downtown Atlanta.
You can also drive a bit and check out the Tour of Georgia routes, easy to find the routes on their site.
N. Georgia has some fantastic riding, running, climbing. Much hillier than many expect.
I lived in Chattanooga, 1.5 hrs due north on the 75. Lookout Mountain has phenomenal trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing. Rock/Creek Outfitters are your N. Georgia and 'Nooga contact.
Remember that cars aren’t especially bike friendly in the south, so be careful!!!
I stayed in Helen once and LOVED it - there is so much to do - great little town for shopping/ice cream, hiking and great places for running and cycling and mountain biking. It was listed in National Geographic Traveller Magazine as being a great biking spot.
The guy who rented us those cabins was so nice - he didn’t even ask us for any money until I called to remind him of that after we were already there!!
Bob, thanks for the info. The trail looks nice. I won’t make it to Athens on a Saturday, that’s the day I’m booked up… I’m actually just hoping to find nice roads to ride on, no need for a group, although I guess that would have its advantages as well. Just hoping to find a good place to set up a base - a town we could stay in for a few days, where I could get to Atlanta easily enough but could also just hop on the bike and head out for a ride, or maybe a short drive to a trailhead.
Thanks for the link - it still works. Places look great. But COLD! Hasn’t anyone ever told you southerners that it’s supposed to be hot down there all year!
I’m not surprised to find that I have some misconceptions about the south, but I’m shocked at how un-warm it seems to be down there in January. I checked the monthly averages down there, it’s not at all what I expected.
Kind of torn at this point - it seems like the places people are mentioning - Helen, Dahonega (sp?) - would be the most fun and most hilly, but also coldest. That makes sense. I was thinking it would be warmer over by Athens, but I’m not so sure now.
"Kind of torn at this point - it seems like the places people are mentioning - Helen, Dahonega (sp?) - would be the most fun and most hilly, but also coldest. That makes sense. I was thinking it would be warmer over by Athens, but I’m not so sure now. "
That’s pretty much it. I live just south of Atl, and while you may get some nice days in January, they are the exception. Mostly cold and/or wet. You have to get a few hrs south of here before you actually get warmer (50-60’s) weather as a rule. That said, the slower speeds of MTB work out pretty well up in N. GA even in winter, with lots of forest service roads as an option if the trails are particularly wet. So, if mtb is an option you might consider that.
I’m partial to the Franklin, NC area that’s about 2 hours north of Atlanta because I’ve vacationed there a couple of times a year ever since I was a kid. There’s great mountain biking at Tsali in Bryson City and also the DuPont area of Ashville (never been there, but heard its great). I love the resturants in the area (if you end up going there, let me know). This location is a nice central location for short day trips to the surrounding areas. Tons of great hiking all around the area of N. Georgia/Western NC.
I don’t know too much about the road/tri scene around that area, but like others have said before, I imagine its hard to beat Dahlongea (Tour de Georgia climbs). I keep planning on going there, but I always just opt for the familiarity of Franklin instead.
The dahlonaga area is hard to beat, I have a house in atlanta and up north of dahlonaga. The silver comet is nice but boring and crowded, if you want endless straight miles of flat sidewalk, then its where you need to be, but if you want at least 10 hard climbs and fast descents, north georgia is where to go. Try blood mountain cabin rentals, its right on the top of one of the central mountains.