Trail Directory

loop

Lake Conasauga Loop

needs description

1.2 mi+42 ft

point to point

Pinhoti Section 31 – Buddy Cove Gap to Benton MacKaye Trail

needs description

3.1 mi

out and back

Sugar Cove Trail

needs description

9.4 mi+2,696 ft

point to point

Pinhoti Section 28 – Ramhurst to Cohutta Overlook

needs description

18.2 mi

conasauga

out and back

Conasauga River Trail #61

A 3.0-mile river trail in the Cherokee National Forest following the Conasauga downstream from the Jacks River confluence, with swimming holes, rapids, and a loop connection to Iron Mountain Trail.

5.7 mi+164 ftconasauga

point to point

Benton MacKaye Trail 10A – Bushyhead Mountain to Dally Gap

needs description

19.7 mi+3,688 ft

conasauga

13.4 mi+2,664 ftconasauga

loop

Sumac Creek Trail

A lesser-traveled Cohutta-area loop with a drier, younger forest character, repeated drops into the Sumac Creek drainage, and a mix of double-track and ridge travel that feels rugged without being truly remote.

conasauga

12.3 mi+2,211 ftconasauga

out and back

Conasauga River Trail (Betty Gap)

A 13.1-mile river wilderness traverse with 38 crossings, cascading headwaters, and some of the most boulder-strewn water in the Cohuttas.

loop

Songbird Trail

needs description

1.7 mi+164 ft

conasauga

16.9 mi+2,641 ftconasauga

out and back

Hickory Creek Trail

A 6.5-mile interior forest traverse from FS51 to Bray Field, winding through hardwood coves and quiet creeks before fording the Conasauga River.

jacks

out and back

Beech Bottom Trail

The easiest and shortest route to Jacks River Falls — a gentle 4-mile approach through ridgeline forest and river floodplain.

9.3 mi+990 ftjacks

jacks

loop

Penitentiary Branch Trail

A steep, beautiful 3.6-mile interior connector that drops from the Hemp Top ridge into the Jacks River country, moving from airy ridge walking into a darker, wetter creek hollow with multiple branch crossings.

13.6 mi+1,847 ftjacks

conasauga

out and back

Tearbritches Trail

A steep 3.5-mile descent from Little Bald Mountain to Bray Field, losing over 2,000 feet into the Conasauga River Valley.

6.5 mi+2,526 ftconasauga

jacks

out and back

Rice Camp Trail

A quiet 4-mile connector trail that drops from the FS51/Rice Camp trailhead area into the Jacks River corridor, linking the East Cowpen side of the wilderness to one of the most beloved river sections in the Cohuttas.

3.7 mi+453 ftjacks

conasauga

loop

Bear Creek Trail

Bear Creek Trail is one of North Georgia’s classic multi-use loops — a wide, well-maintained mountain trail with creek crossings, old roadbeds, native trout water, and some of the finest older-growth poplars in the region, including the famous Gennett Poplar nearby.

6.6 mi+1,122 ftconasauga

conasauga

13.5 mi+3,192 ftconasauga

out and back

Emery Creek Trail

Emery Creek Trail is a 7-mile climb from riparian cove forest to high-elevation hardwood ridge, crossing the creek more than 20 times and passing two spectacular 40+ foot waterfalls.

jacks

out and back

Jacks River Trail – Dally Gap to Beech Bottom

An 8.5-mile descent from Dally Gap through Jacks River Gorge featuring 20 river crossings and a striking transition from high-elevation mesic forest to rugged whitewater corridor.

8.5 mi+900 ftjacks

out and back

Mountaintown Creek Trail

needs description

11.4 mi+1,505 ft

conasauga

11.7 mi+1,391 ftconasauga

loop

Iron Mountain Trail

Iron Mountain Trail is a lightly traveled multi-use route near Cottonwood Patch that begins with a shallow ford of the Conasauga, climbs gradually through forest and old roadbed, and continues beyond its “official” 4-mile endpoint to a scenic overlook and a remote river crossing in Tennessee.

Jacks River Trail - Beech Bottom to Alaculsey Valley

out and back

Jacks River Trail - Beech Bottom to Alaculsey Valley

An 8.3-mile whitewater river corridor with 22 fords and Jacks River Falls — the most iconic stretch of trail in the Cohutta Wilderness.

15.2 mi+980 ftjacks

conasauga

out and back

Windy Gap Trail

Windy Gap Trail is a 5-mile climb gaining nearly 1,900 feet from low foothills to the high elevations of Grassy Mountain, with options to continue to the Fire Tower or Lake Conasauga.

7.9 mi+2,148 ftconasauga

conasauga

17.5 mi+3,910 ftconasauga

out and back

Panther Creek Trail

A rugged 3.5-mile interior trail leading to the most spectacular waterfall in the Cohutta Wilderness — Panther Creek Falls.

jacks

out and back

Hemp Top Trail – GA

Hemp Top Trail (GA) is a 5.3-mile ridge walk from Dally Gap to Double Spring Gap along the Blue Ridge Divide with sweeping winter views and dual forest boundary crossings.

13.1 mi+2,893 ftjacks

jacks

out and back

Rough Ridge Trail

A 7-mile remote ridge traverse descending from East Cowpen to Jacks River through some of the wildest terrain in the Cohutta Wilderness.

14.4 mi+3,175 ftjacks

conasauga

13.2 mi+3,100 ftconasauga

out and back

East Cowpen Trail

A 7-mile ridgeline traverse along historic Old Georgia Highway 2, dividing the Conasauga and Jacks River watersheds.

conasauga

out and back

Chestnut Lead Trail

A quiet 2-mile descent through old-growth cove forest and chestnut remnants to a boulder-strewn stretch of the Conasauga River.

3.3 mi+974 ftconasauga

adjacent

out and back

Grassy Mountain Fire Tower Trail

A 6.5-mile out-and-back trail climbing to a historic fire lookout tower with panoramic views of the Cohutta Mountains and surrounding national forest.

4.3 mi+757 ftadjacent