Getting There: Take 75 to 285 to 675 to 85 to 985 to 129 to Cleveland, turn right on 75 (not the interstate), right on Tom Bell, right on Chambers, right onto gravel road at forest department sign. 1.5 hours east of Atlanta.
Access: Nice parking lot with pit toilets. Campsite is 1.5 hours up steep trail at the old parking lot (keep left at red post) - has 5 pit toilets, sinks (but no water), and trash bins; supposedly, there's a spring somewhere, but someone advised us to filter AND boil any water we took from it. There's another clearing about half a mile earlier but it's supposedly used for landing aircraft - curious skunk lives here and will commence eating your food at exactly 4 in the morning. Call ahead to avoid conflicts with army training. Parking lot is only 4 miles from town, so assuming you can hike back to your car, it's a quick trip in for any restaurants or supplies. If you stay on 75 up to 85 in Atlanta you can catch any one of many awesome Ethiopian restaurants (Queen of Sheba was this trip's pick and is highly recommended).
Climbing: The main face has a lot of well-maintained routes, many with two-pitches (around 150 feet high) - most are easy, but there is a lot of space between bolts - view is amazing. The Lowers has harder routes with considerably older gear.
Scenery: Awesome, especially in the fall. Great place to hike around even if you don't climb.
Cost:(For a non-driver (drivers go free) in one of the three-person cars):
Gas: $20
Ethiopian food: $10
Camping: Free
Parking/Admission: Free
Total: $30
Trip members: Jeff, Alex, Dan, Marco, Cheryl, Wen, Moe, and Qiuya.
What Alex (our sherpa) carried up the 1.5 mile trail to the campground.
Base camp for the main face.
The scary part is he was belaying me while taking this picture.
