Georgia Magazine - June 2021 - 31

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

COURTESY JOHN TRUSSELL

Billie and John Trussell make a stop at the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center
at Callaway Resort & Gardens in Pine Mountain.

" Fort Yargo [State Park in Winder] is a great mountainbiking park, " says Owen Smith, cyclist and marketing
coordinator at Georgia State Parks. " I really love Fort Yargo. "

Georgia-Alabama state line. A plus for off-road cyclists is the 18 miles of
natural-surface trails that weave through the woods along the main trail.
For cyclists who journey all the way into Alabama, " there's another
trail called the Chief Ladiga Trail, " Trussell says, which stretches for
33 miles from the state line to Anniston, Ala.

foothills of the Appalachians.
" It has several short distances, or you can do the
whole thing, " Trussell says.
The trail's southern loop is 35 miles, and its
northern loop is 38. Four gaps are at places where the
Appalachian Trail crosses the roadway. Each gap ranges
from difficult to extremely challenging.
" Because of steep elevations, I recommend [Six
Gap Trail] for experts, but intermediate-level skilled
riders can tackle short sections of the route, " he says.

Six Gap Trail, sixgap.com/info

JOHN TRUSSELL

Each segment of what Trussell calls the Six Gap Classic Ride crosses
through a mountain gap or low pass, giving the Six Gap Trail its name. Not
for beginners, this rigorous, figure-eight mountain trail takes cyclists on
a roller-coaster ride through the steep peaks and valleys of Wolfpen Gap,
Woody Gap, Neels Gap, Hogpen Gap, Unicoi Gap and Jacks Gap.
Most cyclists start in Dahlonega, which is northeast of Atlanta in the

Chickamauga Ramble Trail,
bit.ly/chickamaugatrail
Located in the Chickamauga & Chattanooga
National Military Park near Fort Oglethorpe, the
Chickamauga Ramble takes cyclists on a scenic
excursion past the stately memorials and monuments
that mark one of the deadliest battles of the Civil War,
claiming more than 34,000 lives.
Rated as moderate, the mostly flat trail starts in
the parking lot.
" Bicycles are permitted on paved roads, parking areas and park administrative roads, " Park Ranger
Christopher Young says.
The slow speed limit for cars makes the paved
roads a " very safe place to ride, " Trussell says. " Stop by
the visitors center and pick up a copy of their map. "

Callaway Resort & Gardens,
Cyclists prepare to ride from Albany to Americus in the Nut Roll fundraiser,
which benefits Chehaw Park near Albany. Although last year's event was
canceled, this year looks promising. Visit caamevents.com/event/nut-roll.

callawaygardens.com
" Callaway Gardens is one of my favorite places to
go, " Trussell says.
The Pine Mountain tourist destination offers more
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5/13/21 1:44 PM

http://www.sixgap.com/info http://www.bit.ly/chickamaugatrail http://www.callawaygardens.com http://www.caamevents.com/event/nut-roll http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Georgia Magazine - June 2021

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