If anyone is interested in camping during the No Ga Classic, please let me know. I intend to pitch a tent at one of the 3 nearby NFS campgrounds. I'll still hang around the motel to socialize, but I'll motor back out to the campground to sleep. With an anticipated arrival time of Thursday this year, I don't expect to have any problems getting a site even though they are first-come/first-serve. If you want a bit more of a taste of adventure, maybe you ought to try this. We could share a site which, with my senior pass, will only be $6/night.
Andrews Cove is on GA17 6 miles north of Helen.
Low Gap is only ~5 miles north of Helen, but includes a couple of miles of gravel (manageable on any bike).
Upper Chattahoochee is about 15 miles north of Helen and includes a bit more gravel.
They all have similar facilities (basic, but you're camping, for Pete's sake!) If you want to save some $ for more gas or another weekend, this is an option. Temperatures will likely range from mid 40s at night to around 70 during the day. And while the campgrounds don't have showers, I'll bet one of the guys at the motel would let you duck in for a shower at some point during the weekend if you start feeling grungy.
Andrews Cove
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=10487&actid=29Low Gap (where I stayed the last time)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=10491&actid=29Upper Chattanoochee
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=10501&actid=29
