# Calls to make before the trip

Parked 2026-09-21. Nothing here blocks building the map or the plan, but the
first one decides whether the overnight happens where we've drawn it.

## 1. Blue Ridge Ranger District — 706-745-6928  ← most important

**Added 2026-09-21 — the backcountry route is now East Fork Coosa Creek (Union Co.),
see `research\backcountry-route-design.md`. Ask these first:**
- Is hand panning OK on the **East Fork of Coosa Creek** above the private boundary
  (upstream of ~34.8064, -83.9598) and on **West Fork Wolf Creek**? Any local exception
  to the general rule, including inside **Coosa Bald National Scenic Area**?
- Dispersed camping on the upper East Fork (headwater reach above 34.798, -83.978,
  inside Coosa Bald National Scenic Area) — any order or setback?
- Is the **Roaring Fork Trail** (ridge path from Calf Stomp Gap west toward FS 39,
  OSM way 978262922) still maintained / passable?
- Can a truck be left at the **Coosa Backcountry Trail crossing of FS 107** Sat
  Oct 17 morning through Mon Oct 19 afternoon (2 nights)? (FS 107 itself is open —
  Jordan, first-hand, 2026-10-05.)
- **ANSWERED 2026-10-17 from the official MVUM, no call needed** (see research/mvum-roads-2026-10-17.md): FS 107 is designated open yearlong and rated for passenger cars; FS 298 Bowers Cove is designated open seasonally 3/15-1/15, so open on Oct 17-19, high clearance; **Big Grassy Knob Road and Calf Stomp Road / FS 108 are NOT on the MVUM at all — not legal to drive, walking only.** The private 0.68 mi of Bowers Road below Owltown Gap is outside the Forest Service road system and is still unanswered.
- Is **Bowers Road (FS 298)** open to the public and ungated for its first 0.68 mi
  below Owltown Gap, where it crosses private land (down to about 34.8041, -83.9527)?
  We want to leave a truck Fri Oct 16 evening through Mon Oct 19 afternoon just past
  that stretch, at the first Forest Service ground (34.80382, -83.95267), clear of the
  roadway. (Added 2026-10-12: Owltown Gap itself is a residential bend with no lot, so
  the truck is not left there.)
- Which WMA covers Coosa Creek / Coosa Bald, and are there hunts Oct 17-19?
- ~~Is panning actually prohibited in designated Wilderness?~~ **ANSWERED — confirmed by Jordan, 2026-09-21: yes, panning is banned in designated Wilderness.** No official USFS page states this (still true), but it no longer needs a ranger call.

The Three Forks questions below only matter if we fall back to Noontootla.
The order that governs that overnight. Ask by name:

> "Campfire, Camping, and Horse Restrictions at FS Road 58 and Chester &
> Noontootla Creeks"

- What is its **current text and boundary**? (Listed as effective 2013–2025,
  but the Forest Service extends these dates administratively without
  reissuing the PDF, and this one has no PDF attached at all — its status
  cannot be determined online.)
- Does it reach **AT backcountry camping at Hawk Mountain Shelter (~3.8 mi in)
  or Stover Creek Shelter (~1.5 mi in)**, or only the FS-58 road corridor?
  Best guess from the wording of sibling orders is road-corridor only, but
  that is an inference, not confirmation.
- **Are campfires allowed** at those shelters? Plan on stoves until told
  otherwise.
- Is FS-58 **gated seasonally**? Open in October?
- Panning legality on **Noontootla and Rock Creek** (general NF rule says hand
  pan + trowel is fine; confirm no local exception).
- Panning at **DeSoto Falls / Frogtown Creek** — the USFS page lists fishing,
  hiking, picnicking and camping but does NOT name gold panning. Our data
  claimed it did; that citation was wrong. Confirm it's allowed under the
  general rule.
- **Brasstown Bald night parking** (Thu Oct 15 stargazing, lot ~7:50–10:15 PM).
  The Forest Service publishes an after-hours fee ($6 per adult 16+), so after 5 PM is
  an expected use. Not stated anywhere: how late the gate stays open. Single question:
  is the gate on Spur 180 open until about 10:30 PM in mid-October?
  Backup if not: Hogpen Gap overlook (GA-348).

## 2. Vogel State Park — 706-745-2628
- Confirm walk-in site P booking, Thu Oct 15 1 PM – Wed Oct 21 noon.
- Confirm 2 vehicles / 2 tents / 5 people at the site, and overflow parking.
- Current campsite and ParkPass rates.
- **Coosa Backcountry Trail:** is an overnight permit required, where do we get it, and
  can we walk out from site P leaving both vehicles at the site for 2 nights (Sat Oct 17 – Mon Oct 19)?

## 3. Georgia DNR / Wildlife Resources
- **Confirm the firearms deer opener date.** "Oct 17" has no primary source (DNR pages
  blocked our fetch 2026-09-21). Wear orange regardless. Does the orange rule apply to
  non-hunters?
- Blue Ridge WMA: anything the group needs while camping/panning during
  firearms deer season.
- Noontootla and its tributaries are artificial-lures-only, 16" minimum,
  mandatory-release wild trout water. Does that carry any streambed
  restriction that affects panning?

## 4. Consolidated Gold Mine, Dahlonega — 706-864-8473
- Book the underground tour for 6, Fri Oct 16.
- Ask for the older guide specifically.
- Confirm flume panning is included.

## 5. Lumpkin County Parks & Rec — 706-864-3622
- The county code (Ch. 34) and the park's posted rules are silent on panning. No written rule either way.
- Yahoola Creek Park: confirm panning is permitted. This is the strongest
  documented gold record of any spot on the itinerary, so it matters.

## 6. LDMA Loud Mine
- Guest/day access terms, if we want a pay-to-pan backup.

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## Open questions that are ours, not a ranger's
- Cane Creek (Auraria) has the best creek-specific gold citation found —
  Upper/Lower Cane Creek Mines, Barlow Mine — but its public access runs
  through Camp Glisson, a private retreat centre. Worth a call only if we want
  to chase proven ground.
- **Camp chair vs. toilet-hole stool, personal item, not decided.** The buy
  list's "Camp chairs — REI Co-op Camp X Chair" (base camp, personal) is a
  normal chair. Still needs deciding: bring a separate toilet-hole stool/chair
  (e.g. Carry Anywhere Commode or a webbing-strap DIY stool — see
  `C:\dev\scratchpad\camp-toilet-chair.md`), or skip it and just dig catholes
  with the shared trowel + pack out waste in the WAG bags now on the buy list.

## 6. GA DNR Wildlife Conservation Section — 706-557-3213 (added 2026-10-08)
- Do the two crawdad traps count as "minnow traps", which are banned in designated trout waters? All our creeks (Wolf, Coosa, Calf Stump, Yahoola) are trout waters. If yes: hand catching only. Also: is a license needed to take crayfish by hand, and the daily limit. Source trail: research/fishing-crawdads.md.
- Vogel State Park 706-745-2628: does Lake Trahlyta refill and the loop trail/falls reopen by Oct 15? (Park page 2026-10-08: drained, trail and falls closed.)