Atlanta and outdoors?

[JPD]

I wish I could have read that rant before it was removed. I love that stuff.

All I stated was a fact. The guys carved in the mountain are the undisputed losers of the Civil War. If I thought Stone Mountain was a redneck haven I would not be recommending it.

I love having Stone Mountain so close, and I'm bummed that my annual pass expired yesterday.

[SBinJuly]

I'm not living in the ATL area yet, but will be moving there at the end of this month from SoCal. We had a list of things we wanted when looking for a community, including relatively close proximity to downtown, the airport, and the great outdoors. We felt that Tributary at New Manchester had a lot to offer in those areas, and we'll be closing on a house there soon. (They have a website - just google "Tributary" and "Georgia.") The community is adjacent to the Sweetwater Creek State Park and will eventually have a trail system that connects to the Park's system. The community will also eventually offer an Outdoor Activity Center on Sweetwater Creek where you can rent kayaks, etc. It is a very easy drive to the Atlanta airport. And only 15 miles away from downtown. I definitely think it's worth checking out.

[hikefordiscovery]

[b]I would definately recommend doing Hike for Discovery with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It is an amazing program to raise money, while you get fit and travel. This fall, they are traveling to the Grand Canyon and another team is traveling to Kauai, Hawaii.

[OhioNative]

About an hour, hour and a half, or so north of Atlanta is several hundred thousand acres of national forest in the mountains. There are tons of opportunities for camping and backpacking, with several long trails including the Appalachian, Benton MacKaye, and others. There are also several wilderness areas.

[goozer]

I've lived in Atlanta a couple of years now and, as an avid hiker, I rate Atlanta as a pretty solid outdoors town. It is no Portland or Seattle, but there are some very good hiking and paddling spots within an hour and a half of the city (Chattahoochie Nat Forest spans a large swath of North Georiga; Chattooga river is one of several excellent rafting/kayaking rivers). And if you are up for driving a little further, North Carolina and Tennessee have some great outdoor options (Nantahala and Pisgah Nat Forests and Great Smoky Mountains Nat Park). Closer to the Atlanta metro area, I would recommend Sweetwater Creek State Park (as someone mentioned) and the underrated Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve (think Stone Mountain but with free admission, 1/20 of the crowds, and none of the gaudy tourist stuff).

I live in Decatur, GA, just 6 miles east of downtown, but it is pretty easy on a weekend day to get from there to I-75, I-85, or 400 and drive to the mountains. I suggest you first pick a neighborhood you like and that fits your commute requirements for work (as you probably already know, traffic is Atlanta's biggest negative). After that, I think you will find a way to get to outdoor recreation without much hassle.