Hi {{contact.first_name}}, August in Georgia is a heat-and-humidity month, so the play is simple: ride early, or ride high. An hour and a half north of the city, the Blue Ridge runs ten degrees cooler and the roads turn from straight to spectacular. Here is how to beat the August heat and still put good miles down.
Ride of the Month: The Three Gaps Loop
Neels Gap, Wolf Pen Gap, Jacks Gap
Base out of Dahlonega or Blairsville and string together the three best gaps in the state. Neels Gap on US 129 climbs past Vogel State Park with tight, shaded switchbacks. Wolf Pen Gap on Highway 180 is the technical one, a ribbon of tight corners through the Chattahoochee forest. Then Jacks Gap and the spur up to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia, where it is always cooler at the top.
The tree cover keeps you out of the worst of the sun, the elevation drops the temperature, and the pavement is some of the best in the Southeast. Stop in Suches, the tiny town riders call the Top of Georgia, and you will be in good company.
Run US 129 north to the Tail of the Dragon if you want to make a full day of it, or keep it local with the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway (Highway 348) over the mountains, a short but stunning stretch. The Wolf Pen and Suches area is the heart of it, and every road up there beats sitting in August traffic on the perimeter.
Late-Summer Safety: Georgia Edition
Heat and pop-up storms are the August story down here. Ride it smart.
- Heat and hydration. August humidity is no joke in full gear. Dehydration dulls your reactions before you feel it. Drink more than you think you need and take the shade breaks.
- Afternoon thunderstorms. Georgia summers build fast, hard storms most afternoons. Check the radar and plan to be home before the sky goes dark.
- Damp, shaded mountain corners. The tree-canopy roads up north stay wet and slick in the shade long after a rain. Trust the shadows less than the sun.
- Deer in the foothills. Dawn and dusk on the north Georgia back roads are thick with them. Cover your brakes through the wooded stretches.
Know Your Georgia Law
- Helmets are mandatory for everyone. Under O.C.G.A. 40-6-315, every rider and passenger must wear a DOT-approved helmet, no exceptions for age or experience. Georgia is one of the strictest states in the country on this.
- Minimum insurance is 25/50/25. That is 25,000 per person and 50,000 per crash for injuries, 25,000 for property. It is often not enough after a real motorcycle wreck, so carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage if you can.
- You have two years. Georgia gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury claim. Evidence disappears long before that, so move early.
Ride Nation North Georgia
The local chapter is where riders post weekend miles, call out fresh gravel and road conditions in the gaps, and share the photos worth putting your helmet on for. Post where you rode this month and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride it.
Still Time for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are on this list because you entered, which means you are already in the running for 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, drawn December 10. Got a buddy who would want a shot? The entry page is open and free.
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A car turning left across your lane. Gravel on a mountain corner. A distracted driver who never saw you. If you ever go down, you want a lawyer who actually rides these roads.