Georgia Recreational Trail Riders Association Dual Sport Rides

| July 6, 2026

The Georgia Recreational Trail Riders Association (GARTRA) hosts two annual dual sport rides: the Hooch every June and the Fall Foliage Ride each October or November. These events serve as the club’s longstanding biannual fundraising activities. Established in 1992 as a volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to promoting and enhancing public off-road motorized recreation areas across Georgia, GARTRA currently has 225 active members.

Photos by Jen Muecke

Beyond being a fundraising mechanism, each event also celebrates responsible trail stewardship and serves as an all-important communal gathering of like-minded motorcyclists. Based at the famous North Georgia motorcycle meet-up destination Two Wheels of Suches, attendees come from neighboring states, including Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as from distant Florida and Ohio, each year to enjoy two unique routes, each covering 120-plus miles of scenic Appalachia, winding through the Chattahoochee National Forest and surrounding areas. Designed to accommodate both novice and experienced dual sport riders, the routes offer a mix of easy gravel roads, rocky climbs, forest service roads and optional advanced sections, including legitimate single-track inside the OHV trail system Whissinghunt, one of seven state-run trail systems that GARTRA maintains in cooperation with the Forest Service—all connected by perfectly placed short stretches of quiet, country two-lane paved roads to tie it all together.

Historically, navigation was handled via roll-chart route sheets, an antiquated, old-school but beloved method that adds to the event’s traditional dual sport character. However, this year riders were offered GPX files as well as a free trail map on onX Maps for those inclined to enter the new millennium of motorcycle-navigation technology. OnX not only supports the club with navigation but is also a corporate partner that has contributed to several trail-work projects since joining the club.

GARTRA’s mission has always been to promote sustainable trail access, and The Hooch and Fall Foliage rides embody that ethos. Riders aren’t racing; they’re exploring, navigating and appreciating the rugged beauty of North Georgia’s mountains while supporting the organization that helps maintain access to those very trails. In fact, the club maintains seven different state OHV areas from the Atlanta metro area to the North Georgia borders of Tennessee and North Carolina, with help from their sponsors, including Wooly’s Cycles of Atlanta, Viasat, Extreme Terrain (Clean Trail Initiative), Cycle Specialty, Highland Park Off Road Resort, Butler | Kahn, and BikeGraphix.

Additionally, supporting the club through a grant process is the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI). The club has been awarded multiple grants over the past few years for much-needed supplies and trail equipment in the form of Yamaha ATVs, gravel carts, chainsaws, hand tools and more. With this support, the club has been able to keep OHV areas open by working with the Forest Service, performing regular trail maintenance and rehabilitating staging areas. However, while the grants and support from sponsors are needed, the most valuable resource is the volunteer club members that make the “magic” happen through hard work and manual labor at monthly trail-work days at each of the seven OHV areas they manage. This effort has not gone unnoticed by the Forest Service, helping build a strong working relationship that has resulted in plans to build new trails, a first for state-managed off-road recreational areas since the original OHV sites were created!

If you missed this year’s Hooch Ride, don’t worry, the Fall Foliage Ride is just around the corner. Come out for the self-led ride, enjoy the colors of fall and support the GARTRA motorcycle club and the good work they are doing in the state of Georgia. Can’t make the trip or too far from your local region? Check out the AMA dual sport page for events closer to home, and support or join your local motorcycle club. They are the boots on the ground putting in the work to keep our riding areas open, with all funds generated by the club put to good use to increase advocacy for proper motorized off-road use, maintain public land access, preserve trails and develop new trails. All to the benefit of the local motorcycle community.CN

Learn more at https://gartra.org/outdoors/