Red Top Mountain State Park
Sunday, October 11, 2026

Join GAOC Sunday, October 11^th, at Red Top Mountain State Park (Iron Hill area). The start/finish will be located in the field to the SW of the parking area. The weather is cooling, the lake is slightly below full pool, and this area of the park is quite runnable with good visibility. There will not be water on the course, therefore, camelbaks or similar packs are highly recommended.

White through Red courses will be offered with runners selecting start times (0900 – 1200) when registering. Time limit is 3 hours for all courses; however, all courses will close at 2:00pm. Lower-level courses (white and yellow in particular) are designed with "new" runners in mind and will provide a good beginner experience to practice skills and gain confidence.

The Georgia State Park fee is $10 per car. This fee is separate from the event registration fee, and must be paid to the park. You may purchase your Day Use Pass online (valid only on the day of purchase), or at the park. Annual passes are available online from the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites product catalog or the Friends of Georgia State Parks membership page.

Notes

Turnout is expected to be high; please carpool if you can. Red Top is highly utilized this time of the year. Be respectful of the park and other visitors when entering the Iron Hill parking area and while on your course.
Beginner instruction is available at 9:00am; participants must pre-register for the Beginner Instruction class.
Water will NOT be provided on any course. A CamelBak or similar hydration pack is highly recommended. Participants must bring their own compass, whistle, and water.
Pre-paid pre-registration is required. (Registration will open for our volunteer event directors at 7:00pm on Monday, October 5^th, and will open for other volunteer coupon holders at 8:00pm. Registration will open to everyone at 9:00pm.) No paper forms or payments will be accepted on-site.
Participants will be started promptly at the start time they select when pre-registering. Please come to the start no earlier than 5 minutes before your start time, but be sure to be at the start on time.
Runners have the option to run one or two courses using the same e-stick. If you want to run two courses, you must pre-register for both courses. On the pre-registration form, select the "I want to run 2 courses option". After selecting your courses, select your start time for your first course. At the event, when you are ready to start you second course, come back to the start to be assigned a start time. You must start your second course before noon.

Courses

Course	Level	Controls	Distance	Climb
White	Beginner	10	2.1 km	25 m
Yellow	Novice	10	2.3 km	50 m
Orange	Intermediate	12	3.3 km	75 m
Silver	Very short advanced	10	2.5 km	65 m
Brown	Short advanced	13	3.8 km	90 m
Green	Medium advanced	13	4.8 km	125 m
Red	Advanced	15	5.5 km	170 m

Schedule

Runners must select their start time when pre-registering, and will be started promptly at their selected start time. Please come to the start no earlier than 5 minutes before your start time, but be sure to be at the start on time. Last start is at noon. All runners must be off all courses by 3 hours after their start or 2:00 pm, whichever comes first. Volunteers will start picking up controls at 2:00 pm.

Directions

Red Top Mountain State Park may be accessed via I-75 (Exit 285) and following signs to the park via Red Top Mountain Rd SE. After crossing Bethany Bridge, continue approx. 1.5 miles to the Iron Hill parking area on the right. You may also access the park from the south, via Glade Rd. If entering the park via Glade Rd., the Iron Hill parking area will be one half mile on your left upon entering the park. Signs will direct you to the parking area.

Volunteers needed

Event volunteers are always needed and appreciated. Each volunteer is awarded a coupon that may be used for discounted (and early) event registration or items from our merchandise page.

If you are interested in helping out at the start, search and rescue, or control pickup, please select your volunteer position(s) on the registration page or contact the meet director.