Rocky Mountain Drive & Trail Guide, W4G/NG-016

Summit is worth 8 points + 3 bonus

Duration: 1:35, 75 miles
Google Maps URL: https://tinyurl.com/rocky-chimney2
Seasonal/Limited Access: Dirt road, no gates.
Directions:
- I-285 to GA-400
- North on GA-400 and go 47
- L on US-19 toward Dahlonega and go 5
- R on US-19 and go 8
- S onto GA-60 and go 7
- R on GA-180 and go 4.5
- Just past Lake Winfield Scott, bear L on Cooper Creek Rd and go 1.1. (Turns to dirt at 0.8. ) Driveable in Prius.
- Park just after crossing creek at the sharp right. Room for several cars on shoulder.
Food
- Last McDonalds: Dahlonega
- Penultimate McDonalds: GA-400 at GA-53 (38 miles north of I-285)

Duration: 1:30 up; 1:15 down, 1.3 miles, 800’ elevation gain
Navigation
- Take the old road bed right at the tip of the sharp right in Cooper Creek Rd. After a few feet, take the L fork toward the creek.
- When you reach the ridge line, follow road bed off to the right, up the ridge line SOUTH.
- At Locust Gap, make a 90-degree left turn onto a lesser road bed. This lesser road degrades to a trail.
- After 0.15 miles, trail bears R, to bypass the summit. Begin ~0.7 mile bushwhack to L, following ridge to summit.
  - The bushwhack becomes strenuous and briar-ridden. Very slow hike at this point.
  - My GPS track up includes a side trip to see whether the road eventualy doubles back and goes up. It doesn’t so far as I could see. Don’t take that little detour. Take the reverse of my downward trek.
- GPS failure return route: Head NORTH down the ridge to its bottom. Then EAST to road. If you have trouble finding the road, there’s a creek east of your route, and the creek crosses the road just before the sharp right where you parked.
GPS tracks/waypoints:
- Summit: 34.7486, -84.0861 @ 3820’
- Trailhead: 34.73834,-83.99398 @ ~3040’
- Grid Square: EM84ar

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