Shady Dale Ride Start Locations

If you want to begin a road or gravel ride in the northeastern part of Jasper County, the small city of Shady Dale is a good place to begin. At the corner of Hwy 83 and Hwy 142, Shady Dale is the home of Robby’s Cafe and several possible staging/parking spots. Recon Jasper can’t officially provide permission to park at these spots, but I think you’d be welcome at any of them if there isn’t a special event going on:

• Shady Dale City Hall - the little grassy area in the northeast quadrant of the intersection of Hwys 83 and 142 is owned by the City of Shady Dale, so if your group only has 1 or two cars, parking beside the historic city hall building should be a good option.
• Gravel lot - there is a large gravel parking lot in the southeast quadrant of the Hwys 83 and 142 intersection that is often used by boiled peanut vendors and such. it’s privately owned, but might be a good place to park for a couple of hours.
• Masons Lodge - Just north of the 83/142 intersection on the west side of 83 is the Shady Dale Masons Lodge. They host one of the largest rodeos in the south every June. If they aren’t meeting, I doubt they’d mind if you parked there for a little while.
• Methodist Church - a little north of the Masons Lodge on the west side of Hwy 83 is the Cavalry United Methodist Church. If it’s not Sunday and there’s no event going on, that might be a good spot to park for a ride.