Riding at Stone Mountain Park?

Mindy,

I've ridden out there a couple of times.  Unfortunately, it's quite a drive around the perimeter from Smyrna (especially with the SC in my backyard) and can be a pain to get through traffic during the week.  But you're right, it's a great place to bike and run and get in some hillwork at the same time.

All the times I've been, I parked my car in a public parking lot about a 1/2 mile from the park in the city of Stone Mountain (see directions below).  You avoid paying the $8 fee this way.  When you turn right out of that parking lot on the main road, you can go just .2 of a mile down and you'll see PATH on your left.  It'll take you right into the park.  Once you get in the park, if you turn left, then you're only about 1/2 mile from the main parking lot/restrooms/vistor center.  Usually we stop here to use the bathroom or fill up water bottles.

The inner loop is about 5.5. miles and the outer loop is between 7 and 8 miles if I remember correctly.  I can't remember which is which, but one loop has a lot of smaller rolling hills and the other one has fewer bigger hills.  They both join up for a small portion of the road so you can choose whichever loop that you like better.  I typically do 2 outer loops and 1 inner for a shorter distance ride.

I don't know about shower facilities.  Plus, if you park outside of the park, then you'd have to go back to get your clothes and then ride your bike back in and out - unless you wanted to walk a mile or so.

Here are the directions to the parking lot that I use:

Directions to FREE Parking near Stone Mountain:
(1) Take I-285 to the U.S. Hwy 78 East (Snellville/Athens) exit (Exit 39B)
(2) Travel about 5 miles to the Stone Mountain Village/Memorial Drive exit (Exit 5)
(3) Travel less than a mile and take the E. Ponce DeLeon Ave/Stone Mountain Village exit (1st exit you come to)
(4) Turn left at the Stop Sign (E. Ponce DeLeon Ave) and travel straight through the first intersection (Food Mart and Texaco on right hand side) - at this point the name of the street changes to "Main Street"
(5) Travel straight through another stop light and look for the parking lot on the right hand side (by the Rail Road tracks).  There is a small gazebo in this parking lot.

Hope this helps some.  Enjoy the riding.

Rebecca

You can either take the road that runs down the neighborhood and go through the gate - a lot of the time I come back to my car that way. 

OR - you if you turn right out of the parking lot onto the main road and go down about .2 of a mile, you'll see PATH on your left (PATH is a trail similar to the SC (actually the SC is part of PATH) with light asphalt).  You can take this down about half a mile and it takes you right into the park.  Turn left once you hit the road in the park and you are only about another 1/2 mile from the visitors center.

A season pass will cost you $35 and you can apply your $8 daily pass toward the purchase.  I tend to park in two different places.  One is up the mountain next to the musuem and the west gate.  They have cleaner facilities.  Second, you can park at the base of the hill by the exhibits.  They also have restrooms and a good place to stretch.  I have never seen showering facilities. 

 The inner loop is just short of 5...I think 4.8 and the outer is right at 7.  So if you ride correctly you can do a challenging 12.  The inner loops as a few small to moderate climbs...the outer loop is quite challenging.  I would also recommend switching the way you ride...go clockwise and then counter to get the full effects of the hill.  I typically ride about 20-25 outer there.  If you park at the top of the mountain you can run out of the park thru downtown back into the park and around the mountain to achieve a great 6 mile brick.  Perfect place to practice hills and an Oly brick.