So I’m going to be going To Helen GA the weekend of September 10th.
I found a few bike routes but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on where I should look to ride.
I live in Greenville SC and spend a good bit of time in the hills, so I’m not worried about any climbs.
Thanks!
six gap
http://www.6gap.com/…_Map_NO_YEAR_Web.pdf
you could skip the part that goes into Dahlonega and just do the 6, I think it’s around 80ish miles
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http://www.cyclenorthgeorgia.com/images/route-information/Six_Gap_Route_Map_NO_YEAR_Web.pdf
A good 3-4 hr ride is to ride the back 3 gaps in reverse order. Unicoi to Jacks to Hogpen. This allows you to park in Helen. We usually use the public parking off of Chattahoochee which is about 1/2 down Helen’s Main Street.
There’s a $2 donation request for parking.
Riding north on Main Street out of Helen, you are on 75 which is the upper right of the map. It’s not long, just a couple of miles, before you start climbing Unicoi Gap.
Basically, 75 to go up and over Unicoi, turn left on180 to go up and over Jack’s, then turn on left on 348 to go up and over Hogpen.
Brasstown Bald is near the top of Jack’s Gap, an added challenge if you want to go up 3 miles with very intense inclines. Better have the right gearing and be VERY CAREFUL if you try to ride down this. Many, many people crash, endover, doing the down on BB.
You don’t need to do BB to have a great ride. That side of Hogpen is pretty steep so you’ll get plenty of work in there.
Have the right gears and make sure your bike is tight and safe.
The descents are a blast.
You can see on that link that there are more climbs in the area. These are just the easiest to get to if parking in Helen.
Basically, 75 to go up and over Unicoi, turn left on180 to go up and over Jack’s, then turn on left on 348 to go up and over Hogpen.
348 is newly paved as well. They were just finishing it up when I rode (my car) through there a couple weeks ago.
Very nice road/trail run we do every year on a training camp in Helen is to run on the road through Unicoi State Park to Anna Ruby Falls then pick up the Smith Creek trail at the falls for the run back to the state park. If you want to run longer than 9 miles you can start in Helen and take the trail from downtown to the state park.
The AT crosses several of the roads on the 6 Gaps route.
Chattahoochee River Road north of Helen looks like it could be a very enjoyable paved/gravel road to run. I haven’t checked it out yet except via Google maps.
Enjoy!