-
Do I have to be a member of the PMTA to participate in the monthly group-led hikes or the workdays?
-
How far is it from FDR State Park office to the Trail parking lots?
-
What is the latest in the day I can get a backpacking permit?
-
I am Pine Mountain Trail Association member and I lost my card. What now?
-
What is the elevation of the highest point on Pine Mountain?
How do I get to FDR State Park and the Pine Mountain Trail?
The FDR State Park
office is at
Click here for directions, or you can visit http://maps.yahoo.com/ or http://www.mapquest.com/, or any of the online mapping services.
If you still have questions, call Jim Hall at 706-569-0497.
Do I have to pay to hike or camp on the Trail?
You'll need to pay to park. That's a $3.00 daily use fee (unless you have an annual Georgia Park Pass.) to park anywhere in the park.
Campers will pay $5.00 per day per person for a backcountry camping permit. Group permits are $25.00.
Do I have to be a member of the PMTA to hike or camp?
Everyone is welcome, although the $5.00 backcountry camping permit fee waived for members
Do I have to be a member of the PMTA to participate in the monthly group-led hikes or the workdays?
Again, everyone is welcome.
Are dogs allowed on the Trail?
Dogs are allowed as long as they remain on a leash that's 6 foot or less in length. Dogs may wear a "doggie backpack," but no pack animals are allowed, including donkeys, horses or llamas (yes, really).
Are mountain bikes allowed on the Trail?
No wheeled vehicles of any kind are allowed on the Trail, powered, ridden or pushed, which includes wheelchairs and strollers.
When is the Pine Mountain Trail open?
Daylight hours, 365 days a year.
However, in February 2008, a 2 mile section of the trail was closed for most of two days due to a controversial burn initiated by the Georgia DNR. Most likely, in January 2009, there will be deer hunting in FDR State Park and the whole park will be closed during those days. It is advised to call the park office (706-663-4858) and ask before coming to the park if there are going to be any closed areas during the days you plan to come hiking or backpacking.
Yes, although we recommend that you always hike with a friend for safety. The Trail is very well marked. We suggest you buy a PMT map and read our Trail Safety section though.
What
do two blazes on a tree mean?
Double blazes on a tree denote a change in trail direction, intersection with a connecting trail or an intersection with a horse trail or road. A change in direction usually means a hard right or left hand turn that comes up just beyond the double blazes.
How far is it from FDR State Park office to the Trail parking lots?
Turn left out of the parking lot. .65 miles on the left.Buzzards Roost Parking Area -
Overlook Parking Area - Turn left out of the parking lot. 1.65 miles on the left.
Country Store (and the western terminus of the Pine Mountain Trail)- Turn left out of the parking lot 2.87 miles to Hwy 27. The parking lot is on your left.
Fox Den Cove Parking Lot - Turn right out of the parking lot. 1.4 miles on the left.
Mollyhugger Hill Parking Lot -Turn right out of the parking lot. 3.6 miles on the left.
Dowdell’s Knob Trailhead and Parking Lot - Turn right out of the parking lot, and turn right after 5.8 miles onto Dowdell Knob Road. (Watch for the sign.) Dowdell Knob trailhead and parking lot is 1.3 miles at the end of this road.
Rocky Point Parking Lot- Turn right out of the parking lot.7 miles on the right.
WJSP-TV Tower Parking Lot (and the eastern terminus of the Pine Mountain Trail). Turn right out of the parking lot. 8.9 miles to the stop sign. Turn left .2 miles. Turn left in the parking lot.
Liberty Bell Swimming Pool- Turn right out of the parking lot. and go .4 miles to Ga. 354. Turn left onto the ramp for 354 at the stone bridge. At the end of the ramp, turn left and go .4 mile. The entrance to the pool parking lot is on your right.
Trading Post- Leave the parking lot and go straight across the road to Lake Delano Road leading down the mountain to the RV campground and cabins. Follow the road across the dam at the lake, and the Trading Post will be ahead on your left.
The Country Store Parking Lot is the only one that doesn't require the $3.00 Daily Use Fee Pass.
What is the latest in the day I can get a backpacking permit?
Permits are issued no less than 2 hours before dark. If you get there late in the day, find a motel in the area or get a permit to stay in a tent site in the RV campground. If you are a group, the Pioneer area may be available.
Are there age limits for backpacking on the Trail?
You must be 18 to obtain a backcountry permit from FDR State Park.
Is there water available on the Trail?
The answer is yes, no and sometimes. All water found in the streams and springs along the Trail must be filtered, treated or boiled, but you can fill water bottles at the park office. We recommend you check with the rangers, but you should always plan on bringing enough water with you.
Are there any wild animals on the Trail?
You will likely see deer, turkey, fox, small birds and squirrels. In early 2002 a bear or two were seen, but there were no reports later in the year and there have never been problems with the bears.
I am Pine Mountain Trail Association member and I lost my card. What now?
Call PMTA membership chairman Jerry Brown at 706-324-9422 or Jim Hall at 706-569-0497.
If you are completely off the trail, the best thing to do is stop as soon as you realize you aren't on the trail any longer. Rest a couple minutes, take a breath and gather your wits. Try to backtrack a short ways to see if you pick up the trail. If you do not, STOP. If you have a cell phone call for help. (FDR 24 hour Ranger number is 706-663-4256…do not call 911) Otherwise, whistle, yell, for help, but stay put and let home come to you. Most good hikers carry most of the following on a hike: A very loud whistle, flashlight, means for starting a fire, small amount of food and ample water, cell phone, first aid kit, and a piece of plastic (for shelter), map and compass.
Look at the trail map before heading out, and watch for the blazes on the trees
Are there any restrooms on the Pine Mountain Trail?
Sorry, but no. The closest facilities are in the RV Campground and the FDR park office. The RV Campground is near the Mountain Creek Trail, and the office is near mile 4 of the Trail. Other than that, just lots of trees.
Note: On group-led Pine Mountain Trail Association hikes, we ask the guys to move ahead while the girls stay back and go in private. Bath tissue can be left in woods and covered with leaves after you go. Women should bring a zip-lock bag to take out items (tampons and pads) that will not decompose as TP will.
What is the elevation of the highest point on Pine Mountain?
The highest point in FDR State Park (on Pine Mountain) is 1,395 feet. It's near Dowdell Knob. Just off the trail at the Dowdell Knob area are some picnic tables on the west side of the drive. About 100' into the woods is a geological survey marker/benchmark noted on the map section below.
Who or what cut all those limbs along the Trail?
In the fall,
when the leaves are falling
along the trails, many folks see a bunch of freshly cut small hickory
limbs in and along the trails.
If you look closely, these
hickory limbs had the ends cut neatly. Was there someone who was pruning
these hickory limbs from trees?
No. The cut limbs were the work of a 15-18 mm long insect known as
a twig girdler (oncideres
cingulata.) This long-horned
wood boring insect lives in many hardwoods of
The twig girdler doesn’t do any real damage to the trees along our trails, but does provide some interesting conversation.
What happens is a female twig girdler selects a hickory twig (usually about 3/8” in diameter) and she chews the bark and some of the inner wood around the entire twig, almost to the point that the limb is separated from the tree. This causes the limb to die. This process is called girdling, hence the name. In a notch in the circular cut, the female then lays her eggs. The larvae, when they appear, eat more of the now decaying wood. After the larvae pupate and become adult beetles they leave the limb. As the limb is now dead, drying out from being cut all the way around, when the wind blows the limb then breaks off from the tree. Most times the leaves are still attached to the broken off branch. We have seen a few small hickory trees the twig girdler has cut the top out of, and most times the tree continues to grow and branch out with the top cut clean off. So the next time you are hiking on the PMT, look for small limbs along the trails with ends cut, and you'll know a twig girdler has been there!
The Pine Mountain Ridge, which F.D. Roosevelt State Park encompasses and Little White House sits on the northern end, has been recognized as an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society. Click here to see a checklist of birds for FDR State Park.
