Len Foote Hike Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Len Foote Hike Inn |
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| Location | Dawson County, Georgia, USA |
| Nearest city | Dawsonville, Georgia |
| Established | November 1998 |
| Visitors | 9000 (in 2012) |
| Governing body | Georgia State Park Georgia Department of Natural Resources |
The Len Foote Hike Inn is a special place in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Dawson County, Georgia, USA. It's an eco-friendly lodge designed to protect nature. You can only reach it by hiking! It's a great spot for adventurers who love the outdoors and want to learn about living green.
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Discover the Len Foote Hike Inn
What is the Hike Inn?
The Hike Inn is a unique lodge built with nature in mind. It's "LEED-certified," which means it meets high standards for being green and energy-efficient. This special place is all about ecotourism, which means traveling responsibly to natural areas. It helps protect the environment and supports local communities.
The inn opened in November 1998. It sits high up on Frosty Mountain, about 3,100 feet above sea level. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources owns the Hike Inn. A non-profit group, the Len Foote Hike Inn, Inc., runs it. This group is connected to the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club.
Your Stay at the Inn
The Hike Inn is open all year round. It has twenty rooms for guests. There's also a big two-story lobby where everyone can relax. You'll find a dining room, a bathhouse, and a common room too.
Breakfast and dinner are served family-style. This means everyone eats together, like a big family meal. Visitors are asked to try and not waste food. Any leftover food is composted using a special program called vermiculture. This uses worms to break down food scraps!
Living Green at the Inn
The Hike Inn is a great example of how we can live in harmony with nature. They focus on conservation, which means protecting natural resources. They also teach about environmental stewardship, which is about taking care of our planet. Environmental education is a big part of what they do.
The facility uses solar power for hot showers. They also have photo-voltaic solar energy, which turns sunlight into electricity. Even the toilets are eco-friendly! They are compostable and don't have any bad smells.
Getting There is Half the Fun!
You can only reach the Hike Inn by walking. The main trail starts at Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawson County, Georgia. It's a five-mile hike to get to the inn.
The first part of this trail is also the start of the approach trail to Springer Mountain. Springer Mountain is the very beginning of the famous Appalachian Trail (AT). Many Thru-hikers who walk the entire AT often start or finish their journey at the Hike Inn.
The trail from Amicalola Falls to the Hike Inn is marked with bright lime green paint blazes. The hike goes up about 500 feet in elevation. Park signs say it's an "easy to moderate" hike, so it's a good challenge for most people.
Nature Around the Inn
The area around the Hike Inn is full of beautiful plants. You can see mountain laurel and rhododendron. There are also many oak and hickory trees. It's a wonderful place to explore nature.
The Star Base
At the inn, you'll find a special granite calendar formation. It's called the Star Base. This unique structure lines up with the rising sun during the spring and fall equinoxes. The Fernbank Science Center in nearby Atlanta designed this amazing celestial calendar.
Images for kids
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View of the sunrise from the Star Base during the 2004 vernal equinox
