Thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, hikers have new paths to explore in Dawson County. Last month, about 10 miles of trails opened in the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area, a 25,000-acre property operated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The DNR manages the area for hunting and fishing. But two years ago, the North Georgia nonprofit group Mountain Stewards joined with the state agency to promote use of the land by nonhunters.

“What we’ve done is connect a lot of these trails together, cleared them, put blazes on trees, added signage,” Wells said. “We’ve also added three primitive campsites in the Wildcat campground, and built two 60-foot bridges across the Amicalola River.” And it didn’t cost taxpayers a dime. Ken Riddleberger, regional supervisor for game management at the DNR office in Gainesville, said the donation-funded project represented $14,700 in construction materials and $10,000 worth of volunteer labor. “(Mountain Stewards) has been a big help to us,” he said. “They’ll also be responsible for maintenance of the trails.” The south end of the wildlife area, known as the Atlanta tract, has trails for horseback riders and mountain bikers.

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