Underground Base - Dawsonville GA, page 3

Hey Guys and Gals, my name is Matt. I'm 22 years old and have lived in Dawsonville my whole life. I grew up listening to stories about Dawson Forest and Lockheed. These stories ranged from two-headed deer to glowing wildlife. Pretty ridilious urban folklore. But radiation still exists. The University of Georgia still does radiation testing to this day. I will try and find the website for that. I have made countless trips to Dawson Forest either hunting, off-roading, or exploring the "secret base." Dawson Forest is now mostly Wildlife Management Area land managed by the DNR. There is a tract called the "City of Atlanta Tract" which contains the location of the base. The city of Atlanta bought the land from the government to one day build an extension of Hartsfield International Airport. However, due to the mountainous landscape that idea was put on the shelf. Ever since I was a kid I have always heard rumors the city of Atlanta was going to build another airport up here. Anyway, back on point. For anyone who wants directions to Dawson Forest, here ya go:

-Take GA 400 north to Dawson Forest Rd. (This is the traffic light intersection at the Premium Outlet mall. Look for the mall on the left and an Arbys on the right.)
-Take a left onto Dawson Forest Rd. and you will come to a four way stop at Lumpkin Campground Rd.
-Go straight through the four way stop and continue probably 2 or 3 miles.
-The next stop sign you come to will to will the the intersection of Dawson Forest Rd. and Hwy. 9
-Go straight across Hwy. 9 (be extra careful when crossing b/c of the way the road curves, it is hard to see on-coming traffic)
-Continue past the Hwy. 9 intersection (you will pass a fire station on the right) until you come to the South Gate, as us locals call it, at Dawson Forest.
-Once in the gate you can take the first right and come upon numerous concrete slabs.

Thats pretty much the most direct way to Dawson Forest. Also, before entering though the gate there is a gravel road on the right. About half a mile down that road there is a bridge, if you stop in the middle of the bridge and look to the left you can see a concrete building. I'm not sure what that building was used for. If you choose to continue down this road you will need a four wheel drive to cross the 3 foot deep river about 2 miles down the road. That road will lead you to the north side of Dawson Forest, or as locals call it "North Gate." Anyway, I have heard tale that the concrete slabs I mentioned in the directions are actually the hoofs of buildings that were part of the base. As for the purpose of the base, I heard the nuclear testing was used in the development of a nuclear powered airplane. If you continue down the road without turning right at the concrete slabs the road will turn into gravel about 1 or 2 miles down. At this point, if you look to the left you can see a concrete building through the brush and the river behind it. This was the hot cell building. Back in the day the reactor was down in the river. It has since been removed. I know that for a fact because a longtime Dawsonville resident and also an Etowah Water Authority technician told me the reactor was removed. Anyway, continue beyond that and you will come to the dis-mantled remains of the bridge that Hex mentioned in previous posts. Back to the concrete slab area, at the back left corner of this area there is a rather tall building that has a fence around it. This is one of a few areas of Dawson Forest that is supposed to be "off-limits."

It's a pretty interesting place. As I said, I have been there countless times and done alot of exploring with my buddies. If you guys want to meet on a Saturday or Sunday one weekend let me know. I'll be glad to show you guys the sights. Just send me an e-mail at MSpyder413@aol.com. If you guys have anymore questions about Dawson Forest let me know. Alot of information can be found at the Dawson County Library.