biking

From hiking and biking to canoeing and swimming, there are many ways to get your exercise outside. Research suggests that even low impact activity in the outdoors stimulates endorphins and contributes to both mental and physical health.

Across Georgia, there are thousands of acres of land open for you to explore. Georgia’s state parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, lakes, and other public lands are great places for wildife viewing, hiking, hunting, fishing, and general outdoor enjoyment.

In this episode we'll experience The Tri-the-Parks Triathalon Series, the Georgia State Parks' Canyon Climbers Challenge and attend Unicoi's State Park's annual Outdoor Activity Day looking for other unique outdoors adventures.

Web Resources

Georgia State Parks
With 63 State Parks & Historic Sites, Georgia gives you plenty of options for outdoors adventure. And you won't have to travel far. Your biggest challenge - deciding what to.

The National Forests of Georgia
As part of America's national forest system, the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests represent the finest outdoor recreation opporutnities and natural resources Georgia has to offer. These lands are rich in history and culture you'll find fascinating to explore.

Georgia’s Great Lakes
From camping to boating, fishing to resorts, the nine Great Lakes of Georgia beckon visitors from around the world to enjoy these water wonders.

Tri the Parks
The Tri the Parks Triathlon and Duathlon Race Series is the only multi-sport event series in Georgia. Five triathlons, four duathlons, and one aquathlon comprise the series for 2008. One of the events is an all female event. We’ll see you at the start line!

Canyon Climbers Club
For years, marathon runners have endured long distances in their quest for bragging rights and prestigious t-shirts. Now, state park hikers have their own conquest that ends with an exclusive “I did it!” t-shirt. Georgia’s new Canyon Climbers Club is reserved for those few who have scaled to the top of Amicalola Falls, explored the depths of Providence Canyon, braved the swinging bridge in Tallulah Gorge and faced the daunting staircase in Cloudland Canyon.

Muddy Spokes Club
Visit the 11 state parks in the Muddy Spokes Club and ride the designated bicycle trail at each one for a total of 68 miles. Some of the trails are fairly easy, some are moderate and some are strenuous and will give you a challenge. Be sure you are in good health, wear safety gear and take plenty of water along.

Annual Georgia Geocachers Association Challenge
Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache's existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache.

PDF Transcript

Mountain biking is a great family sport. This program features information on the basics as well as the new high tech gear available. We follow an Atlanta salesman that keeps his bike in his SUV as he travels the state. We join our guest for a ride in the Tallulah Gorge State Park and in Augusta along the canal.

Any weekend throughout the year offers plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities in Georgia. Mild winters and long springs and falls invite Georgians to do everything from rafting and hiking to hunting and fishing.

Join us for A Georgia Outdoors Guide to Never Spending a Weekend at Home. We'll explore outdoor activities month by month for Georgians and our visitors. For example, in January, you can visit Sky Valley in North Georgia and learn to snow ski and the next weekend cycle with the Coastal Bicycle Touring Club on the warm coast! March offers both the chance to hunt a turkey, and to raft the Chattooga River. But don't forget fishing and camping. Once the weather heats up, we'll tell you where to go diving one weekend and caving another. And if you've never gone birding, we'll show you what you've been missing and how many places there are to bird in Georgia.

September offers lots of hunting opportunities and Georgia is rich in public fishing areas where you can "wet a hook" all year long. The cooler weather of November offers clear night skies for star gazing and in December you can skip the malls and participate in the Partners in Flight Christmas Bird Counts. So, be careful, if you watch this program, you'll have no excuse to stay at home!

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North Georgia is home to the southern end of the Appalachian mountain range, and while most of our peaks aren't quite as tall as those mountains to the north, a few reach heights of over 4,000 feet. From Brasstown Bald to Blood Mountain, we take a look at some of the more accessible of these mountain peaks and show you a few ways to enjoy yourself in these high elevations.

Whether it's a bike race to the top of Brasstown Bald, hiking and stargazing, or bouldering, this episode is packed with fun activities to enjoy atop our highest mountains. We also take a look at the unique ecology and climate found far above sea level.

Web Resources

Brasstown Bald
Beautiful Brasstown Bald, at 4,784 feet above sea level, is Georgia's highest mountain. On clear days, the 360-degree view from atop the mountain allows you to see four states, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Blood Mountain Wilderness
Blood Mountain is the highest peak on Georgia's portion of the Appalachian Trail and the state's sixth highest mountain. Some believe the name came from a bloody battle between the Cherokee Indians and Creek Indians.

Rabun Bald
Rabun Bald is the second-highest peak in Georgia. An observation tower on the summit provides hikers with a spectacular view.

Lookout Mountain Flight Park
A comprehensive hang gliding training facility with a 44-acre mountain retreat with camping and lodging conveniently located in our landing zone.

Brasstown Bald Buster Century
Are you ready to ride 100 miles, and over 14,000 ft of elevation gain?

Tour de Georgia
The Tour de Georgia a premier, professional cycling event and rolling festival of community activities. It is held annually for one full week in April.

Atlanta Austronomy Club
The Atlanta Astronomy Club was founded in 1947 to promote amateur astronomy and professional and amateur collaboration. It is one of the oldest and, with over 380 members, one of the largest clubs in the southeastern United States.

Old Friends Hiking Club
This site highlights the many hiking trails in the tri-State area of Northeast Georgia, N.W. South Carolina and S.W. North Carolina. It is also the official website for the Old Friends Hiking Club.

Recommended Reading

The Hiking Trails of North Georgia, by Tim Holman

Hiking Georgia, by Don Pfitzer

The Georgia Conservancy's Guide to the North Georgia Mountains, by Fred Brown, Nell Jones, Thomas Perrie, Georgia Conservancy

Whether on a road or on a mountain trail, riding a bicycle is a fun and healthy activity, and it's a great way to explore Georgia. On this episode we join a number of bike enthusiasts as they see the state from the unique vantage point of a bike.

First, Georgia Outdoors visits Up the Creek Without a Pedal, an annual bike ride in Rome that offers something for cyclists of all skill levels. We'll also check in with the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign and take a fun ride around the city. We explore a few mountain biking trails as well. All this and more!

Web Resource

Coosa Valley Cycling Association
The Coosa Valley Cycling Association, or CVCA for short, is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to both serious and recreational cycling.

Atlanta Bicycle Campaign
The mission of the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is to make it safer and easier to ride a bike around Atlanta. They work to create programs that overcome the barriers to biking, educate the public on how to share the road safely, and build community among cyclists.

Mistletoe State Park
Located on 72,000-acre Clarks Hill Lake near Augusta, this park is known as one of the finest bass fishing spots in the nation. It is just one of the 63 parks and historic sites in Georgia.

Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Harris Neck NWR was established in 1962. It consists of 2,824 of saltwater marsh, grassland, mixed deciduous woods and cropland. It is just one of the ten Wildlife Refuges in Georgia.

Carter’s Lake
Located near Elijay, Carters Lake offers a variety of recreational opportunities which including camping, fishing, picnicking, boating, mountain biking and hunting.

Southern Offroad Biking Association
The Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) is the largest nonprofit mountain biking organization in the Southeast. Through advocacy, education, and recreational opportunities, SORBA carries out its mission to promote land access, trail preservation, and new trail development in order to enhance mountain bike touring, racing, fun, and fellowship for all mountain bicyclists in the southeastern United States.

Recommended Reading

Mountain Biking Georgia, by Alex Nutt