I've always found the City of Atlanta Tract of the Dawson Forest to
be a fascinating place due to it's Cold War history. For more of
that see my
Reactor Road cache. This new cache is in an unexpectedly unique
part of the Dawson Forest.
Take GA138 off GA400 at the outlet mall, and continue on into
the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area. The road becomes
Reactor Road, though there are no signs telling you that. Take that
road until you come to Clark Road on the left, just before
Reservoir Road on the right. Take Clark Road to the parking
coordinates at the top of Ram Road.
If you're lost already download the DNR
Topo Map and zoom in until you clearly see Ram Road at the
middle bottom part of the map.
You'll hike down Ram Road towards the Etowah River. The road bed
can be muddy if it's been raining, thanks in part to the horsey set
chewing up the road. However it's worth it to go after a good rain,
as that's when the waterfalls at the end of the road are at their
best.
I don't believe the falls are really called "Ram Falls", but it
seems logical, since the road leading to them is "Ram Road". Some
Etowah River canoeing literature refers to them as "Barefoot
Falls", so that may really be the name. You'll walk on the old
roadbed until you see the sign telling the horses to go no further.
(Unfortunately some horses apparently can't read, as witnessed by
the horse manure on the other side of the creek.) The trailhead
leading to the cache is just past the creek, which is an easy one
to ford. Then you'll do some climbing to get to the cache, but it's
not too rough. The cache is a small lock&lock, with a geocoin
for the FTF.
You can see the lower falls from the end of the road, the upper
falls are visible near the cache. It's about a one mile hike from
the parking coords to the cache.
If you cross where the horses are told not to and keep going
another few hundred feet down the road you'll see some ventilation
pipes(?) along the trail, and the remains of a lamp base
(skirtlifter!) above the trail, all attesting to the nuclear
research laboratories that were once in the Dawson Forest
Remember that you're in a Wildlife Management Area. Wear orange
during hunting season. There is a kiosk at the equestrian parking
area at the entrance to the WMA that details dates to be aware of.
There's also a rest room there.