View Full Version : Springer Mountain Forest Service Road
My wife plans to see me off on March departure from Springer Mountain. Seeking guidance on access to Forest Service road, i.e., will she be able to drive her vehicle, i.e., AWD small SUV up the road?
ive only driven the road once, and that was in a nissan sentra so i would think a SUV would have no problem...............
Teacher & Snacktime
02-03-2016, 00:00
Snacktime and I drove it in a Chevy Cobalt....no prob. Just make sure you don't take the wrong road and head to Black Gap...like we did. THAT road was scary.
Slo-go'en
02-03-2016, 00:05
Snacktime and I drove it in a Chevy Cobalt....no prob. Just make sure you don't take the wrong road and head to Black Gap...like we did. THAT road was scary.
Yea, as I explained in another thread, make sure you know the proper route to take. There is a maze of dirt roads through there and if you take a wrong turn, who knows where you'd end up - or get stuck at.
terryg49
02-03-2016, 04:09
The day before I started my walk my wife and I drove to the parking lot on the FS road that crosses the At at about the 1 mile mark. She walked with me the mile south bound to the summit of Springer. We took all the same photos that every one does , lingered for a while and the walk NB back to our car and went back into Elyijay for the night. The next day she and I came back to that lot and she dropped me off.. It was a great experience for her because even though she had only done a very short bit of the AT she now knew some thing of what I was going to be doing and experiencing . It was great. Don't worry to much about finding the lot. It is very well mark with signage and believe me there will be traffic. While I'm here I'd like to address some of these "Hiking Purest" that are posting comments that seem to me to demine the day hikers and short section hikers. . GET OVER IT!!!. This belong to everyone to use and enjoy as they wish. Enough said.
MuddyWaters
02-03-2016, 04:26
Its normally in good shape. Shuttle drivers drive it at high rates of speed. I was extremely carsick after shuttle. Like being on an amusement park ride.
JaketheFake
02-03-2016, 08:24
The day before I started my walk my wife and I drove to the parking lot on the FS road that crosses the At at about the 1 mile mark. She walked with me the mile south bound to the summit of Springer. We took all the same photos that every one does , lingered for a while and the walk NB back to our car and went back into Elyijay for the night. The next day she and I came back to that lot and she dropped me off.. It was a great experience for her because even though she had only done a very short bit of the AT she now knew some thing of what I was going to be doing and experiencing . It was great. Don't worry to much about finding the lot. It is very well mark with signage and believe me there will be traffic. While I'm here I'd like to address some of these "Hiking Purest" that are posting comments that seem to me to demine the day hikers and short section hikers. . GET OVER IT!!!. This belong to everyone to use and enjoy as they wish. Enough said..
Thank you you for sharing that. I am stating April 5 (staying at Amicola on the 4). Like you my wife is dropping me off. Your post made me consider doing the 1 mile in and out thing in the 4 versus the 5. It's why I continue to read whiteblazes cause sometimes the obvious has to be hand served.
Regarding the FS road.... Is this not like the greatest mystery of the AT. Depending on who you ask you can either be told it's impassable and certain death to even attempt to drive it (let alone park long enough on it to dump a hiker off) or its drivable as long as your Ford Fiesta has four wheels? What's up with the mystery? Who and why do certain people not want other people on that road.... They growing bud up there or something? Lol.
Tennessee Viking
02-03-2016, 09:47
Its not a hard road. It can get crowded in March/April but just take it easy. I took a Chevy Cavalier. No prob.
Big Creek/Doublehead Gap Roads then onto USFS 42 takes you straight to the trailhead.
Slo-go'en
Can you provide proper route from Americola State Park Lodge? Thanks in advance for your assistance
terryg49
Great suggestion! I think we will do a test run on March 8 as preparation for March 9 departure.
Slo-go'en
02-03-2016, 17:35
Slo-go'en
Can you provide proper route from Americola State Park Lodge? Thanks in advance for your assistance
Not a clue. All I know is you want to start on the west side of the park on state road 52. A Georgia Gazette might help. The route I took I found on Google Earth and that was NOT the way to go.
Slo-go'en
02-03-2016, 18:09
Man, I hope you got GPS. Using Google Earth, I counted like 6 different back roads you need to find to get from the highway to the where FS42 starts. There is an insane maze of roads with a lot of branches you need to wind yourself through to get there. There maybe a more direct route if you had a real map to look at, trying to trace the path with Google Earth isn't the best way to do it. I have no idea how my friend found his way out of there after he dropped me off and he's dead now so I can't ask :(
Once you do find FS42, it looks like you stick to the main track and don't take any turns to get to the parking lot. There are a couple of spurs off the main track which could get you into trouble.
Riocielo
02-03-2016, 18:13
Last May we had no phone or GPS signal anywhere near the Park (T-Mobile) [emoji17]. You may want to print a map before you leave.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Slo-go'en
02-03-2016, 18:30
Okay, it might not be as bad as I thought. Find Southern Rd off of 52 to the west of the state park. It's a ways. Follow Southern road until it "T's" with Roy road and go right. Wind your way along Roy for a goodly ways until you come to Doublehead Gap road and take another right. A few miles or so up Doublehead you'll see a big parking lot and two big buildings on the left. Opposite is the entrance to FS42. With any luck these roads actually have signs.
Roll Tide
02-03-2016, 18:51
Go to the Visitor Center at Amicalola State Park and ask for directions to Springer Mountain. They will give you a sheet of paper with very good directions on how to get there.
upstream
02-03-2016, 19:29
The shortest and fastest way from Amicalola Falls is 52 East to Nimblewill Church road. Go left on Nimblewill Church Road. At the stop sign in front of the church, take a RIGHT on nimblewill gap road, then left on FS 28-1. Then a couple of miles later take the left fork onto FS 77. Stay on that to Winding Stair Gap, and then take a left on FS 42. At Winding Stair gap there is a sign pointing toward Springer.
Before the last time 77 was graded, it got real bad, and some people still have memories of that. 42 is well maintained.
The best road is 42 from the west like slo describes. If you can find it.
42 is also pretty good from the east from Suches, but it's a long long way.
mountain squid
02-03-2016, 19:46
My wife plans to see me off on March departure from Springer Mountain. Seeking guidance on access to Forest Service road, i.e., will she be able to drive her vehicle, i.e., AWD small SUV up the road?2nd time to post this link today . . . guess everybody is getting ready to hike!
Here's a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSeFhtq2ais) of how to get to FS42 from Amicalola Falls SP using the 'preferred route'. Expand replies on YouTube page for driving directions. There's a few more videos showing general condition of the road and the parking area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSeFhtq2ais
See you on the trail,
mt squid
(http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?100363-2014-Norovirus-Awareness)some observations (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?14493-observations-from-fs42-(advice-for-first-week-on-trail)&highlight=)
how to hike (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?73587-how-to-hike)
Slo-go'en
02-03-2016, 20:31
The shortest and fastest way from Amicalola Falls is 52 East to Nimblewill Church road. Go left on Nimblewill Church Road.
NO NO NO. That was the way I went and it was totally insane! I can't see how running a grader up there would have made it much better.
Thanks everyone for the information, greatly appreciated.
Uncle Joe
02-04-2016, 00:07
From the West off Doublehead Gap Rd. It's a pretty benign FR. Coming from the East, Winding Stair Gap is a good bit rougher.