Group Hike - Sunday, March 8th @ 2pm
Join us for a 2-hour Sunday afternoon hike right at the end of winter on Sunday, March 8th. Spring will be peeking out by then and if we have clear weather, it’ll be a fantastic time to see the Oconee National Forest in the sun; and if it’s raining, we’ll get to see the waterfalls at higher flow and see the river environment in the rain! We’ll park at the end of FS Road 1098 at the Wise Creek canoe take-out and hike a big loop that includes some upland trail, some hardwood hillside, and some Ocmulgee River floodplain like the picture below (see the map of our proposed lollypop loop at the bottom of the page). The hike is expected to take about 2 hours (it’s about 4.6 miles) and requires a moderate level of fitness. It’ll be also be more enjoyable if you bring a good set of hiking boots. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by emailing reconjasper.hike@gmail.com. Although cars can get to the start point if you take it slow and easy, there is a good bit of dirt road involved in getting there (3-4 miles), so a truck or SUV would be a better choice if you have one available. There is no cost and space is limited.
From Monticello, I suggest taking Highway 83 south 6.6 miles from the square and turn right onto Clay Road. Drive 1.7 miles on Clay Road to a left turn on McElheney Cross Road. Take McElheney Cross Road 1.2 miles and turn right on New Hope Church Road, which is unpaved. Shortly, at 0.1 mile, turn left onto Forest Service Road 1098, which is a little rutted, but not too bad if you take it slow. After 1.8 miles you will cross Smith Mill Road and continue straight on FS 1098 for roughly another mile until you arrive at the gravel parking area on the bank of the Ocmulgee known as the Wise Creek take-out. We’ll start out hike from there.
Total climbing: 220 ft
Total time: 01:56:59