Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir
Park
219 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Access 1
Photo: HowardSF at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Dahlonega
Dahlonega has 11 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
339 acres are parks and preserves, 46 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir (1.8 mi), Yahoola Creek Park (0.5 mi). 80% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #20 of 264 in Georgia. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
112 acres · of 8.9 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
339 ac
46 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,719 ft
Crown Mountain
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Dahlonega?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dahlonega have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dahlonega is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #20 of 264 in Georgia. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dahlonega’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical GA town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · GA 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land46 acres of park per 1,000 residents (339 acres) · GA 9 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home80% of residents within a half mile of a park · GA 56% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Georgia towns of 2,500+ (264)Ahead of 93%
Few Georgia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Dahlonega’s 2% is ahead of 50% of Georgia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
William J. Livsey Drill Field
Managed by University of North Georgia
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir219 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsYahoola Creek Park64 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWilliam J. Livsey Drill Field8 acres · University of North Georgia
DirectionsWimpy Mill Picnic Area1 acres
DirectionsHancock Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
112 conserved acres
2% of Dahlonega’s land. Who manages Dahlonega’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County81 ac
Town or city30 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Local Recreation Area · 60 acLocal Park · 26 acUnknown Easement · 24 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 24 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yahoola Creek Park Local Recreation Area | County | 58 | Open |
| Lumpkin County Park Local Park | County | 24 | Open |
| Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Hancock Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Wimpy Mill Picnic Area Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Madeleine K. Anthony Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Dahlonega Museum Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | State natural resources | 1 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Dahlonega
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Dahlonega
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Dahlonega
Wimpy Mill Park
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Dahlonega
Crown Mountain1,719 ft elevation
DirectionsFalls Mountain1,565 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Dahlonega
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
21Tennis
11Baseball
7Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Dahlonega Courthouse Gold MuseumBuilding · listed 1971
About itPrice Memorial HallBuilding · listed 1972
About itFields Place-Vickery HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itDahlonega Consolidated Gold MineDistrict · listed 1980
About itSeven OaksBuilding · listed 1982
About itDahlonega Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itLumpkin County JailBuilding · listed 1985
About itHawkins Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995
About itHolly TheatreBuilding · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Dahlonega: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 55 | 63 | 71 | 78 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 81 | 72 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 6.2 |
September is the driest month (4.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 6.2 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Dahlonega →
Questions about parks and trails in Dahlonega
Where can I hike in Dahlonega?
The longest trail networks: Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir, 1.8 miles; Yahoola Creek Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dahlonega is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Georgia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Dahlonega’s trails?
Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir and Yahoola Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Dahlonega?
54,522 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dahlonega or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 339 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Dahlonega have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #20 of 264 in Georgia. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Dahlonega neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →