The Firefly Trail is a community-driven rail-trail in progress. When complete, it will stretch about 39 miles between Union Point and Athens, Ga., connecting three counties and seven towns with a wide, paved, off-road path for walking, running, cycling and rolling that celebrates the historic corridor of the Georgia Railroad Athens Branch, the state’s first chartered railroad.
The 9th Annual Firefly Trail Ticket to Ride, 3rd annual Union Point Firefly Trail Festival and 2nd Annual Firefly FunFest in Athens will be held Saturday, March 28, to raise funds and awareness for the effort to enhance health, safety, active transportation, community pride and economic opportunity by creating a 39-mile, multi-purpose rail-trail from Athens to Union Point. The Ticket to Ride is a mass participation bicycle event held on paved roads close to the future route of the trail, which will be built on or near the historic corridor of the Georgia Railroad Athens Branch. An event for fun and awareness, the non-competitive ride features options up to 83 miles, beautiful countryside, friendly towns, on-road vehicle support, and restrooms, snacks and beverages every 9-10 miles. Each terminus of the future trail – Dudley Park in Athens and downtown Union Point – will host festivals in conjunction with the ride. Whether you want to ride 16 miles or 83, you are welcome on the Ticket to Ride! Details Registration Pre-registration is now open on Active.com (https://www.active.com/orgs/firefly-trail-inc) Click here to download the registration form. $40 adults through March 27 $30 students No charge for children riding with you on your bike in an appropriate child seat $35 each for teams of 5-12 Everyone who registers before March 15 is guaranteed a t-shirt Download the flyer. Pre-registration and packet pickup event Register the day before the ride at the pre-registration price! Friday, March 27, 3-6 PM at Georgia Cycle Sport, 1029 Baxter St., Athens. T-shirts available while supplies last. If you have already registered, stop by to pick up your rider packet, wristband, t-shirt and cue sheets and visit with friends. Day-of Registration Opens at 8 AM at all three registration points $45 all adults $30 students Cash, checks and credit cards accepted in Athens and Winterville Cash and checks only in Union Point due to poor connectivity T-shirts available while supplies last The ride Route Uses the lowest-traffic paved roads we could find as close as possible to the historic corridor of the Georgia Railroad Athens Branch. Out-and-back course gives you complete control over how far and fast you go. Ride all 83 miles at 20 mph if you wish, or ride 15 miles at 8 mph if that’s more your style, or anything in- between. Your choice! The route will be marked with yellow blazes on the pavement before and at turns with confirming blazes after turns and in other places as needed. Cue sheets will be available. Ride with GPS routes are posted, below. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and sponsors are appreciated and recognized. For information, contact Mary Cook at [email protected]. The ride will take place rain or shine except in the event of dangerous conditions. No refunds will be available. However, if you register and then decide not to ride for any reason, you can pick up your rider bag at Georgia Cycle Sport March 30-April 5. Distance Here are the mapped options, or create your own route by going as far as you want and then turning around. If you want a one-way ride, you are welcome to arrange for a family member or friend to pick you up at your destination. Athens-Winterville – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31665000 15.4 miles. 707 feet climbing Athens-Crawford – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31665071 38.2 miles. 1,523 feet climbing Athens-Maxeys – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31665150 57.6 miles. 2,146 feet climbing Athens-Union Point – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31719859 83.1 miles. 2,790 feet climbing Winterville-Crawford – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31742295 22.8 miles. 847 feet climbing Union Point-Athens – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31755109 83.1 miles. 2,790 feet climbing Want to explore the Firefly Trail and Greenway trails in Athens after your ride? Here’s a Ride With GPS route from Dudley Park: NOR Greenway + Firefly Trail – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31737668 11.5 miles. 483 feet climbing Start times you need to know Day-of Registration opens at 8 a.m. at all three starting points Staggered start in Athens o 50 miles or more (Maxeys & Union Point): 9 AM o 49 miles or less (Winterville & Crawford): 9:30 AM Police escort to Spring Valley Road for riders departing at 9 AM All riders start at 9 AM in Union Point and Winterville Support We and our trail communities proudly provide SAG stops every 9-13 miles with restrooms, water, snacks and sports drinks. SAG stops open before first riders arrive and remain open until last riders pass through. The following times are approximate: o Athens: 9 AM – 4:30 PM o Winterville: 9 AM – 4 PM o Crawford: 10 AM – 3 PM o Maxeys: 10 AM – 3:30 PM o Union Point: 9 AM – 4:30 PM Georgia Cycle Sport will host the Winterville SAG stop and will have mechanics available to provide adjustments and minor repairs SAG drivers will drive the course to provide assistance to riders who have mechanical problems or are too tired to continue. Please note that SAG vehicles are reserved for riders who need assistance. They are not available for shuttle service. SAG vehicles will be marked. Cue sheets will include a number to call if you need help. In case of an actual emergency, call 911. Please note that cell service is spotty (at best) between Crawford and Union Point. Course closes at 4:30 PM. If you are still on the course, we will do our best to offer you a ride back to your starting point. If you wish to continue riding, you may do so as an unsupported rider. Volunteers Volunteers are vital to the event, and numerous opportunities are available. All volunteers receive a free t-shirt. For information or to sign up, go to https://signup.com/go/FcNyLCJ. We love our volunteers! Sponsorships Thinking of sponsoring the Ticket to Ride event or know someone who might be interested? Download our sponsorship form here. The festivals Beer! Food! Music – and more. Join us after your ride and invite your family and friends, too. The festivals are open to everyone! Athens: 2nd annual Coldwell Banker/Upchurch Realty Firefly FunFest in Dudley Park FunZone 10 AM – 3 PM. Some activities continue until 4:30 PM Inaugural Classic City Duck Race on the North Oconee River. You can sponsor as many rubber ducks as you like for $5 per duck at https://rafflecreator.com/pages/34736/ticket-to-ride-the-inaugural-classic-city-duck-race Grand prize of $1,000 to the sponsor of the first duck to cross the finish line. You do not have to be present to win. Proceeds benefit the Firefly Trail and the North Oconee River Greenway System. Time to be determined. FunZone will feature giant inflatables for adults and kids, a health fair, live music, a live remote by Bulldog 93.3, and more. Free admission. Activity tickets $1 each. Food trucks including Rashe's Cuisine, Que Shack Barbeque, Crazy Corn Truck, plus kettle corn and funnel cakes. Beer garden, serving Southern Brewing Company beer poured by local charities. Registered riders age 21 and over get one free pour with their wristband and valid ID; additional beer available for sale. The festival wraps up at 4:30 PM Union Point: the 3rd annual Union Point Firefly Festival in downtown Union Point Food trucks. Beer garden, serving Oconee Brewing Company beer poured by 44 Growlers. Registered riders age 21 and over get one free pour with their wristband and valid ID; additional beer available for sale. Raffles for an adult bike and a kid's bike, both donated by Georgia Cycle Sport. Proceeds remain in Greene County to spur creation of the Greene County portion of the trail. Live music and storytelling. More you need to know Safety All riders must wear a CPSC-compliant helmet. Be aware that you will be sharing the road with cars and trucks. You know this, but we have to say it: Bicycling is an inherently dangerous sport. All ride participants must sign a waiver. You are responsible for your safety and the safety of any minors in your custody. Participants under the age of 18 must be supervised at all times. It is your responsibility to obey all Georgia laws pertaining to bicycling. Signal when turning, slowing or stopping. If riding in a group, observe good group etiquette: Be predictable, point or call out hazards such as gravel or potholes, maintain safe drafting distance, and call out turns. We recommend you do NOT call “clear” at intersections. If you stop to make a call, remove a layer, etc., please get completely off the road. It is extremely important that we make a good impression on the people in the communities our ride visits. Please be friendly and polite. Please make it as easy as possible for drivers to pass you. Edge-line rumble strips have been installed on Hwy. 77. We’re not happy about it, but can’t change it. The highway has low traffic volumes for a state highway, but traffic moves fast. There is little, if any, shoulder, so you will need to ride to the left of the white line. We recommend riding single-file in small groups and using rear flashers and a mirror to check traffic approaching from the rear. If you are not comfortable riding in these conditions, we recommend starting from Athens or Winterville and turning back in Crawford. It’s another reason we need the trail! Parking Athens: Use the large Dudley Park/Greenway/Chicopee lot off East Broad Street. If this lot fills up, we recommend parking at Trail Creek Park off Peter Street, about 1 mile away. Limited on-street parking also may be available in nearby neighborhoods, or you can use the Classic Center deck (for a fee). How to get to Dudley Park: o From the Loop: Exit at Peter Street/Olympic Drive and head west (toward town) on Peter Street. Turn right on Arch Street, then right on East Broad. The parking lot will be on your left immediately after crossing the Trail Creek bridge. o From downtown: Take Broad Street east (down the hill). Cross the North Oconee River bridge. Turn right to stay on East Broad. Parking will be on your right. Winterville: Park in the area behind the Depot or in the grass beside Marigold Lane. Overflow parking may also be available in the Pittard Park gravel overflow lot (not the paved Pittard Park spaces!) or at the Community Center about 0.5 miles away on North Church Street. Union Point: Plenty of on-street parking available in the downtown area. Note: Parking is at your own risk. Please make sure to lock your vehicle and ensure that nothing of value is visible inside it. Ride organizers are not responsible for damage or lost or stolen items. Progress report Progress on the trail has picked up steam in recent months. In addition to the existing 0.8-mile of trail in Athens, construction is nearly complete on 0.7 miles in Maxeys, and underway on more than a mile in Winterville. Union Point is in the final stages of planning a 0.6-mile segment, and Athens-Clarke County is working on a two-phase project that will connect the existing trail with the trail in Winterville. ACC also has decided on a design for the Firefly Trail Bridge over Trail Creek. The trail in ACC and Winterville is funded primarily by a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and earlier SPLOSTs. Outside of ACC, trail development is being funded primarily through grants and local matching funds, including fundraisers such as the Ticket to Ride and the Union Point Firefly festival. In addition, FTI is working closely with other trail advocates and State Reps. Spencer Frye and Trey Rhodes to create a Trails Caucus in the Georgia Legislature. We are also working intensely with elected officials in Greene and Oglethorpe counties to explore larger grant opportunities. Many of these big grants require significant local matching funds, which FTI is committed to helping provide. Your help is vital in making the full Firefly Trail a reality. Thank you!
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The Firefly Trail is a community-driven rail-trail in progress. When complete, it will stretch about 39 miles between Union Point and Athens, Ga., connecting three counties and seven towns with a wide, paved, off-road path for walking, running, cycling and rolling. This trail celebrates the historic corridor of the Georgia Railroad Athens Branch, the state’s first chartered railroad.
Route Map
(*DRAFT ONLY*) Local governments will determine the final route. INstagram | FBBlog Archives
October 2024
GIVE TO FIREFLY VIA KROGERBe sure to update your Kroger Plus to designate Firefly Trail, Inc. (Organization #BJ882) as your preferred community partner!
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