About The Pine Mountain Trail Association

<BODY bgcolor=white> <h4>PineMountainTrail.org is a site dedicated to the construction, support and maintenance of the Pine Mountain Trail.</h4> <p align="left">Since 1975, volunteers of all ages have labored to build and maintain the Pine Mountain Trail, a 23-mile footpath, crossing and following the beautiful Pine Mountain ridge in West Central Georgia. Quiet woods, sparkling streams, misty waterfalls, rock outcroppings, varied forests, scenic overlooks and more await your discovery. Just follow the blue blazes - rectangles painted on trees every 100 yards or less. Rock cairns have been erected as mile markers to assist the hiker.</p> <p align="left">The Pine Mountain Trail offers clear crisp views of distant ridges in winter, with occasional snowfall, to the lush greens of summer ferns and foliage of lowland flora. Wildflowers are abundant and spring brings flowering dogwood, native azalea, mountain laurel and rhododendron. Fall brings bright and beautiful colors, changing from day to day.</p> <p align="left">Much of the land that the trail crosses toward the eastern end once belonged to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His farm was located near the present site of WJSP-TV FDR frequented Dowdell Knob, and the area of the Wolfden and Cascade Falls as well as the fish hatchery ponds built by the CCC. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt died at the Little White House at Warm Springs, less than a mile from the trail and Cascade Falls.</p> <p align="left">The Pine Mountain Trail Association, Inc. was organized to design and build the very best trail possible. Countless man-hours went into planning, scouting and laying out prior to construction. Members and volunteers started working on a weekly schedule, seeking the best route, selecting points of interest and building a safe and functional trail. Until new trails could be built, old existing horse tails and Boy Scout trails were used as temporary connecting paths. Mileage was obtained in this way but it took years of rerouting and work to get the desired final route. The result: a trail designed for maximum enjoyment with many varied points of interest and few steep, tiring grades. After working in all types of weather, from winter's freezing temperatures and snow to summer's sweltering heat, a continuous trail was opened from the FDR State Park entrance near Callaway Gardens Country Store to Dowdell Knob and on to the WJSP-TV tower near Warm Springs. Presently, less than two miles remain of the old trail. The Pine Mountain Trail Association appreciates all of the cooperation of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the continuing efforts of the personnel of Franklin Roosevelt State Park. Registries placed at the eastern end of the trail and near FDR Park Office have been signed by tens of thousands of hikers from every state and many foreign countries. It is estimated that 50,000 hikers use the trail each year.</p> <p align="left">Eleven designated campsites, all near water, are located at various places a short distance off the trail. Please use these areas, do not camp on or in sight of the trail. Leave the trail corridor for others to enjoy. Remember, take only photographs and leave only footprints. Keep fires small, burn only deadwood, or better still, use a backpacking stove. Axes and hatchets aren't needed for camping. Bury human waste at least 100 feet from the trail, campsites and streams. Boil or chemically treat stream water before drinking.</p> <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-4115547-1"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); </script> </body>