This trip is mostly for the kids and the grownups they bring with them, but is also open to anyone else who enjoys being around kids. Please keep in mind this will be an all day trip, and very young children may get worn out before the end of the day. Probably kids 5 years or older would have the best time.

I don't want to disappoint those of you who may be expecting trout fishing in a river or natural lake - these fish are in a stocked pond, where you throw in your line and get a fish every time. After fishing, we'll clean our catch and then drive to Black Rock Mountain to have a potluck picnic with fried fish and other goodies we bring. After lunch we'll do 2 hikes at Black Mountain - both very short, one is .5 miles round trip to a waterfall, and the other is a 2 mile loop.

Fishing: Let's catch some rainbow trout from the stocked ponds at Andy's Trout Farm. No license needed. No limit. Must keep all fish caught. No throwing back. Pay for all you catch-$3.80 / pound. Use your own equipment or rent theirs. We'll spend a couple of hours fishing here.

Cane poles .75 cents. Worms $2.50 per carton. Cleaning available .60 cents per fish.

Andy's Trout Farm
PO Box 129, Dillard, GA 30537
[masked] or [masked]

Feasting: Lunch plans have changed. To keep it more affordable, instead of dining at the Dillard House, we'll drive 10 minutes south to Black Rock Mountain picnic area, where we can fry up part of our catch, and have a pot luck picnic next to the visitor center at the top. You can get your fish cleaned by Andy's Trout Farm, or clean your own. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share for the picnic and your own drinks.

Some suggestions to bring: Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Green Salad, Fruit Salad, Potato Salad, Cake, Cookes, Cornbread. Please put on your rsvp the dish you're bringing, and if you have a stove to bring. I have one and we could use an extra one.

Hiking: Black Rock Mountain State Park is named for its sheer cliffs of dark-colored biotite gneiss. It is located astride the Eastern Continental Divide at an altitude of 3,640 feet, and is the highest state park in Georgia. Numerous scenic overlooks provide spectacular 80-mile vistas of the Southern Appalachians.

We'll attempt to burn off a few calories from that decadent lunch on two short trails that are a total of 2.7 miles long. They are the Ada Hi-Falls Trail and the Tennessee Rock Trail.

ADA HI-FALLS TRAIL
0.25 mile one way. Rated moderate to difficult.

The Ada-hi Falls Trail provides a delightful but challenging walk into an outstanding example of a moist, north-slope Appalachian cove. The trail features mature hardwoods, lichen-covered rocks, a variety of ferns and wildflowers, and a dense thicket of rhododendron. At the trail’s end is the observation platform for noisy Ada-hi Falls, a small cascade typical of those found at higher elevations throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains.

TENNESSEE ROCK TRAIL
2.2 mile loop. Rated moderate to difficult.

The yellow-blazed 2.2-mile Tennessee Rock Trail, winding its way through some of the highest and lushest forests, is the park’s most popular hiking trail. The trail offers most visitors a perfect opportunity to get better acquainted with the area’s rich woodlands and vistas, that on clear days span over 80 miles into the neighboring states of both North and South Carolina, as well as Tennessee.

Carpool Location and Time:
8:30 am
Buford REI, south of the Mall of Georgia.

Please call me at [masked] if you get lost or are running late.