Those who live in the Athens area don’t have to drive to the mountains or the coast to take some great hikes. Within an hour’s drive of Athens, and usually much closer, there are many great trails at state and county parks. Linda Chafin will tell some stories of exploring these trails, a project she started during the early days of the pandemic when we were urged to stay close to home. Now, she walks these trails every year for their beauty, challenge and botanical interest.

Chafin retired from the State Botanical Garden in 2020 after serving 16 years as the garden’s Conservation Botanist. She is the author of two books on Georgia’s flora and has been hiking and enjoying the outdoors since she was a child.