Day 42: Traveling the Coastal Georgia Greenway

October 23, 2004 ~ Savannah to Darien, GA ~ 87 miles

Today the cyclists headed south along the corridor of the future Coastal Georgia Greenway. That trail network, a 460-mile continuous off-road greenway from Savannah to St. Marys, weaves along and near US Highway 17. The CGG will connect the six coastal counties of Georgia, linking cities and towns with varied cultural, historic, and environmental resources of the coast. The East Coast Greenway uses only 142 miles of the trail system and utilizes canal towpaths, bridle trails, abandoned railroad lines, and roadside rights of way. Today the cyclists passed through four of the six coastal counties en route to historic Darien, the second oldest planned town in Georgia which was established as a military outpost by Scottish highlanders in 1736 under the command of General James Oglethorpe, founder of Savannah. The community was once a major seaport but now depends primarily on commercial fishing, forestry, and tourism. Darien features a historic district with a commercial waterfront, nineteenth century churches, and Victorian homes and is home of the Fort King George Historic Site, the first English fort in what is now Georgia.

Tomorrow: Darien to Fernandina Beach, Fla.