Enhancing and preserving Lumpkin County's golden greenspace
The Trails The trails offer something for everyone:
The Yahoola Creek Park Hiking Trails meander along the east side of the stream at Yahoola Creek Park. They belong to the community and are overseen by the Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation Department. Founded three years ago and partially funded through a grant from the State of Georgia, they comprise the first phase of a visionary greenspace plan for Dahlonega-Lumpkin County.
• Easy to access, even for a quick walk
• Beginning level to experienced hiking terrain
• An interpretive kiosk with maps, information
• Carved walking sticks for loan
• Four outdoor classrooms including two pavilions and a study pond
• Creekside picnic tables
• A historic home along the trail
• Community garden where seeds, flowers and vegetables are harvested and shared
• A refuge for native plants rescued from sites cleared for construction projects
The mission of the Yahoola Trails Conservancy is
To work with partners to advocate for the responsible development, enhancement and preservation of sustainable trail systems and greenways across Lumpkin County, and to assist public land managers and private land owners in the design, creation and maintenance of such valued places for the current and future citizens of Dahlonega - Lumpkin County, Georgia, and its visitors.
We believe this area’s greenspace is golden, and the trails offer us all some extraordinary benefits:
• Community trails promote healthy living. They increase our physical activity and opportunities for social contact.
• In an age when people, especially children, are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, the trails provide opportunities for meaningful interactions with nature.
• The trails provide valuable habitats that benefit diverse plant and wildlife populations.
• Research shows that trails create jobs, enhance property values, expand and attract businesses, increase tax revenues, and decrease local government expenditures.
• Trail users are the kind of beneficial visitors Dahlonegans want to attract to our community.
The Benefits of Trails to our Community
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Future planned phases of trail development include a four mile loop around the Yahoola Creek Reservoir (shown in blue on map at right) and an important connecting trail (shown in orange) along Yahoola Creek between the reservoir and the existing 1.6 miles of trail at Yahoola Creek Park (shown in green).
This will create an incredible 500 acre park preserve with ten miles of trails that hug the city of Dahlonega!
Supporting YCTC is a concrete action that anyone can take to benefit both our natural environment and our neighbors. Your tax-deductible donation, your volunteer labor, or both will help YCTC achieve its vision of a trail system creating a vibrant greenspace that spans the heart of Lumpkin County.