To hike Amicalola or.not? Please advise

[springerfever]

When I start my thru (hopefully in a few years), I plan to start at Amicalola and hike to the Len Foote HikeInn. I've stayed there before and its pretty cool. Wake up the next morning, have a good breakfast, tag the summit of Springer, sign the register and head North. All the options are fine. Pick the one that works best for you.

http://hike-inn.com/

[ChinMusic]

When I start my thru (hopefully in a few years), I plan to start at Amicalola and hike to the Len Foote HikeInn. I've stayed there before and its pretty cool. Wake up the next morning, have a good breakfast, tag the summit of Springer, sign the register and head North. All the options are fine. Pick the one that works best for you.

http://hike-inn.com/

That is my Plan A as well. Prob stop at Hawk after Springer. I have no qualms about stopping sooner.

[Blissful]

Do it, puts you that closer to trail legs sooner.

[Grampie]

During my thru I took a taxi from Gainesville to Amicalola Falls State park. The driver wanted $40 additional to take me USFS 42. I drcided to walk the approach trail. Glad I did.

[Pedaling Fool]

Yes, I am a hopeless romantic. I cry at beautiful viewpoints and revel in the beauty and solitude at each of my section hikes. I have enjoyed 1200 miles of summer section hiking and can't wait to finally do a thru hike. It has been a long time coming, and I want to celebrate that first blaze and seeing the plaque in Georgia. I am asking if other similarly romantic folks have felt that the approach trail added to the experience or if it did not make a difference.

If that's a serious answer than, yes, you definitely need to start at Amicalola. Starting at the USFS 42 parking lot puts you directly on the AT, but you got to go up to Springer to begin only to backtrack to the parking lot and then continue on. In other words your first step on the AT is walking up a hill so you can start your hike, only to backtrack. Make sure you sign the log at Amicalola

[bigcranky]

Yes, the Approach Trail is worth doing. It adds something to the hike.

[gunner76]

I did the approach trail on the 4th of July and the heat kicked my butt. Took a full day to do the hike but I am glad I did it.

[coheterojo]

Heck ya if you're the romantic sort. You got a big ole plaque that tells you all about the AT. You can sign the register as a thruhiker and get a meaningless number to put in your journal. There's a rusty old scale where you can weigh your pack and, of course, the arch. Let's not forget some awesome falls as well.
I did it both times and loved it. I sectioned it years ago when the trail didn't go up the face of the falls. It was cool then but it is far cooler now.

[Kryptonite]

I wouldn't miss it.

[Veetack]

Here's my $.02: On a section hike, no, I would not do the approach trail.
On a thru, you bet your pretty little pink panties I would, if for nothing more than the fact that it meant I would not be doubling up on some of the blazes, and I would pass every blaze for the first time heading Nobo. But I have to concur that after almost 2200 miles, 9 won't matter.

[ChinMusic]

If you plan on a Yo-Yo I would start at the parking lot on 42. That way you wouldn't have to climb up Springer again on the way back.

[DavidNH]

what the ATC ideally should do.. is close down that forest service road and bring the white blazes down to Amicolola. Seriously though.. If you are looking to reduce your hiking time before you even get started, something is amiss! Amicolola Falls State Park is a great place to get dropped off. There's a visitor center there, and if you want there's a lodge you can stay at and they'll send you off with a good breakfast. With the extra day, you'll already be broken in and starting to hit your stride once at Springer Mtn Summit!

[Mike2012]

Do it. Throughout your hike you will always have hiked 8.8 miles further than the AT mile mark. Every time a 100 mile mark comes up you will hit 100 on YOUR hike before you hit the AT 100 mile incriminations and it's kind of a nice boost when you remember it. It's challenging and will prepare you for future challenging climbs that you won't see until Blood Mountain and then not till after Neels Gap. Do it for the masochist that you have to be to attempt such an undertaking in the first place. If it were easy everyone would do it.

[bear bag hanger]

I've done it three ways, started at Amicalola in 1997, started at Springer in 2004 and started in Amicalola in 2008 (not sure the year), but used the alternate route to the Lin Falls hostel. Springer is easiest, but you have to have someone drive you there. The Lin Falls route is much easier and quicker than the original route. The real question is do you want to start at the bottom of Amicalola park or start at the motel up on top. It can be a rough climb, but well worth the effort. I have to agree with most of the post here, do whatever is best for you.

[Bakkheia]

I can't say what you should do, but for me, I arrived at Amicalola late in the afternoon and had a nice warm-up hike to Black Gap shelter where I stayed. The next morning, I woke up and continued the short hike up to Springer... where I then saw the plaque which overlooked a hazy valley, everything glistening with morning dew, and next to that the first white blazes of my journey. That's when it finally hit me: I was now hiking the AT. It puts a smile on my face just thinking about it.

I don't think the feeling would have been the same if I had backtracked south or done it any other way.... but then again, I tend to romanticize everything. Also, I'm only a section hiker for now (until my 2014 thru-hike) so I have a more limited set of nostalgic memories to pull from compared to a 2000-miler. For me, it was worth it though. The stairs really weren't as bad as I expected, even in terrible July heat, although I had AT experience prior to this. Good place to park too.


Oh, if you plan to take a dog though, skip the steps; they are metal-grated and will really hurt your dogs feet.

[swjohnsey]

Hike the Approach Trail by way of the Hike Inn, a very pleasant experience. The only down side is that if you stick around for breakfast you won't hit the start of the AT until about 11

[ChinMusic]

Hike the Approach Trail by way of the Hike Inn, a very pleasant experience. The only down side is that if you stick around for breakfast you won't hit the start of the AT until about 11

11 is about right. I did just that on a section hike a couple years ago, stopping at Hawk that evening. There is a good chance I will do just that on my thru next year, but I am not married to any plan other then 50-70% of capacity for a week or so.

[jbsbestfan]

I did it on my Georgia section hike and am glad I did. Glad because if at someday in the future it becomes frowned upon not to do the approach, I am covered and no longer have to return to pud central.
We did slackpack the steps though and had our ride drop off the packs at the top of the falls.

[Malto]

I have hiked or ran the approach trail at least a dozen times and everyone is missing the main advantage of doing the approach trail. Start at the falls during the height of thru season. Take no gear at all other than a pack. Equip yourself as you go along the approach trail, picking up all the discarded gear left by hikers as they trudged up the hill. On one trip alone I had or could have had a bear canister, mess kit, tent, ax and a ton of food. It's rather entertaining and at the same time sad.

[Dodds1990]

Here's what you have to ask yourself. If you are about to hike around 2,200 miles, what is 8.8 more? I hiked the Approach Trail before my unsuccessful thru hike (ran out of money) and I thought it was great. Definitely worth it. So get out and do it!