State Parks in Georgia

Kennesaw State University - Fall 2022 - GEOG 3305 - Section 02

Purpose

After being in Texas for some time, coming back to Georgia made me realize how being around trees makes me happy. (Nothing is wrong with Texas; I just need some elevation changes and more foliage in my life). Georgia has many beautiful scenery, waterfall, and trails. Most of them are located nearby the interstates. Which makes it easier for majority of the people to get to. While studying Geospatial Science at Kennesaw State University, I wanted to make a check list map and travel to these location while I am here in Georgia and share with anyone who is interested. Image source: https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2021/07/06/texas-land-rush-shows-no-sign-of-a-slowdown/

 Fun fact: The Appalachian Trail starts in Amicalola Falls, Georgia and goes all the way up to Katahdin, Maine! (2,194.3 miles). Image source: https://appalachiantrail.org/

Map Layout

The layout displays the elevation of Georgia region in meters. It also has the interstate and the rivers in Georgia as a quick reference guide. Each red dot and the number corresponds to the park names on the legend on right hand side. Most of them are near the interstate so it is relatively easy for people to get to. Here are some snap shots of my adventure so far.

Top row left to right: Pine Mountain, Red Top Mountain, Lake Conasauga, Amicalola Falls Botom row left to right: Amicalola Falls, Lake Conasauga, Panola Mountain, Lake Conasauga Credit: Jeffrey Chen

Community Engagement

Unfortunately, most of these parks will require a parking fee. They collect these fee to help maintain and keep the park running for others to enjoy. It is only $5 for one day or $40 for annual pass for Georgia State wide.

Weather conditions

If you lived in Georgia for a while, you are no stranger to the unpredictable weather. Sweater in the morning and shirt and shorts by noon or raining and sunny in the same day. It is good to check the weather ahead regularly to pack and dress accordingly. Also make sure you always have food and water in case you get stranded.

Limitations

Making a map for different park locations, it is difficult to accurately display each trail maps on here. I would not use this as actual travel map but as a quick reference instead. The weather layer tracks real time weather. However, due to limitations there is no way change the date and time to replicate my older weather map layout. Another issue I ran into was unable to minimize the weather legends to fit the layout.

Crimes in Georgia

While most crimes happen within the city limits. Sometimes things happens when it is least expected. It good to be cautious of your surroundings. Also, do not disturb wild life. Always let someone know where you are going, who you are going with, what time you get there and when you will be back by. If you are going off grid it would be wise to invest in a GPS phone/pager.

Conclusion

After reviewing all three maps, I realized Georgia has more state parks than I realized. While most of them are relatively easy to get to, incidents can happen. You should be prepared and let someone know what you will be doing. I have learned a lot about the ArcGIS Pro. Trying to find the right data to geoproess to combine keep the information I need and cut out the ones I do not need.

Data Sources

All of my data was found within the ArcGIS data base and the living atlas. Those credits goes to ESRI, Garmin, FAO,  NOAA, USGS, EPA, NPS.

Thank you for reading and hope everyone have a safe trip!