The best time to ride a motorcycle in Georgia

Georgia rides most of the year. The question is where. The North Georgia mountains run several degrees cooler than Atlanta and make the best summer escape. Atlanta and the Piedmont are hot and humid from June through September. South Georgia and the coast stay mild in winter, then turn hot and stormy in summer, inside hurricane season.

So a Georgia rider's year often looks like this: mountains from April to November, with the best weekends in May and October; the coast and south Georgia in the cool months; and short winter rides on the dry, sunny days in between. The best motorcycle roads in Georgia lists the best season for each classic road, and the Georgia motorcycle rides hub has the overview of regions, laws and rallies.

Spring is one of the two best times to ride Georgia. The mountains turn green from the valleys up, the waterfalls run full, and dogwoods bloom along the back roads. May is often the single best month in the mountains, warm enough for an all-day loop but not yet humid.

Two things to know. Late March and April bring Georgia's famous pine pollen, a yellow dust that coats the bike, your visor and your lungs. Carry a cloth for the shield and allergy meds if you need them. Spring is also storm season, and heavy rain washes gravel into the corners of the gap roads. Give them a day to clear.

Atlanta summers are hot and humid, and afternoon thunderstorms are common statewide. The mountains are the escape. Leave the city early, be on the gap roads by mid-morning, and plan to be off them or under a roof when the storms build in the afternoon.

South Georgia and the coast are hottest of all, with heavy humidity and, south of the so-called gnat line, clouds of gnats around your face at every stop. Ride at dawn, wear vented gear and drink water at every stop. Helen fills with river tubers on summer weekends, so expect slow traffic through town.

Fall is peak season. Cooler, drier air arrives in late September, and mountain color usually peaks from mid to late October, a little earlier on the highest ridges and later in the valleys. The roads are beautiful and busy.

Plan around the crowds. Helen's Oktoberfest runs for weeks in September and October, Dahlonega's Gold Rush Days fills the town in October, and Ellijay's apple season packs GA 52 on weekends. Leaf traffic jams the gap roads on Saturday afternoons. Ride weekdays or start at first light, and see Georgia motorcycle events for the riding calendar.

Winter in Georgia is mild by most standards, and you'll find rideable days every month. The danger is in the mountains. North-facing gap roads and shaded corners can hold ice and frost long after the sun is up, and melted snow refreezes overnight. Wait until afternoon, stay off the gaps after a freeze, and treat any dark wet patch as ice.

Snow is rare in Atlanta, but when it comes it shuts the metro down. The coast rides well through most of the winter, and January and February can be excellent there.

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and the busiest stretch is usually August to October. The Golden Isles and Savannah sit right in it. Keep a backup date for any coast trip in that window, watch the National Hurricane Center, and stay off causeways and low roads when a storm is coming. After a storm, expect sand, debris and flooded roads for days.