We found plenty of parking downtown Decatur a couple of blocks from the trail and took off a little after 9AM on a comfortable, clear day. Temperatures stayed in the 80s almost the entire ride. The ride out of Decatur was nice and easy, but we soon encountered a monstrously long hill. Within a mile, we had gone up and down several serious hills. Luckily, my two riding partners nor I would voice our apprehension and just pedaled on. After the first hills, the trail smoothed out and the elevation changes became much more gradual. The trail ran about 9.5 miles on a wide, well maintained concrete base. The highlight of the rider had to be somewhere in the 6-7 mile mark when we first saw Stone Mountain in the distance and everyone picked up their pace a good 3-4 mph! The trail merged with surface roads in a couple of places, but even in the higher traffic, I felt safe, and motorists appeared to be considerate of the cyclist. We ran into some casual riders and walkers at the main towns, but with the exception of my merry band of novices, the outer trail appeared to be filled with more accomplished cyclists. That worked out well for us because the traffic was very light, and when fellow rider Ben had a handlebar issue, we were lucky to have an experienced rider come by with a wrench.
The trail ended in Stone Mountain Park, and there’s no admission fee when you walk or bike in. We took advantage of rest rooms and refilled our water bottles here. Time permitted us from spending any significant time in the park, but we rode in to get a feel for things. The trail entrance links to Robert E Lee Blvd which is the one way mixed use rode around Stone Mountain. We met a transplanted New Yorker, John, and his dog Sydney and enjoyed several minutes of good hearted Braves-Mets banter. Interestingly, John first came to Atlanta in the 1970s and attended the game in which Hank Aaron hit his 710th home run. John estimated there were 3,000 fans in the stands, and from what I hear, that’s probably not too far off.
The trail was well marked and the maps easy to read. A couple of marked rest spots were devoid of water, but there were enough convenience stores along the route to satisfy any thirst. Dekalb’s famous farmer’s market is just a couple of blocks off the trail, and we passed numerous restaurants in Decatur and Stone Mountain Village. We choose Fellini’s for our post ride feast of White Pizza and were not disappointed.
Decatur to Clarkston Map
Clarkston to Stone Mountain Map
Dekalb Farmer's Market
Stone Mountain Park
Fellini's Pizza
(Maybe, just maybe) Box Score for Hank Aaron's 710th Home run
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| Entering Stone Mountain Village. Ron's BBQ (smelled great), convenience store, and Stone Mountain in the Background |
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| Example of Trail Surface |
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| Wooded Section of Trail UPDATE 6/12/11 A friend and I rode this route again last Sunday. We were on surface roads more that I initially remembered. I did feel safe, but dedicated bike lanes would be a good idea. Painting on the roads (a line or perhaps bike only markers on the road would also help navigation.) I understand there may be financial and legal restrictions, but those small improvements would make an already great trail even better. 9 months later, my fitness level is quite a bit higher, and that made the ride that much more enjoyable. We made time to go into Stone Mountain Park and pose for cheesy pictures in front of the monument. There are some SERIOUS hills in the park, but it was a fun ride. Looked to be plenty of great picnic spots including a children's area with playgrounds. It was a scorching hot day, and the lake called to me for a quick, cooling swim; however, we were eager to finish before noon when the temperatures were expected to reach mid 90s. We started and ended at Felini's Pizza and clocked ~27 miles. There happened to big a BRAG training ride that morning. Read more about the Bike Ride Across Georgia here: BRAG  |
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