Big Frog Trail
The cornerstone trail of the wilderness, climbing through a tunnel of trees to the summit of Big Frog Mountain.
- Distance
- 5.5 mi one way
- Elevation gain
- Not recorded
- Trail type
- Out & Back
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
- Crossings
- No crossings recorded
- Best season
- Spring through fall
Wilderness status
Inside Big Frog Wilderness
Bicycles
Bicycles are prohibited on this trail. Mechanized transport, including mountain bikes, is banned in designated wilderness under federal law by the Wilderness Act of 1964. This is enforced by the Forest Service. Do not ride here.
The trail
Big Frog Trail is the trail the wilderness is named for, and most guides to this range call it the best trail in it. It bisects the wilderness and ties into five other trails along the way, climbing through what more than one account calls a rhododendron tunnel toward the 4,224 foot summit of Big Frog Mountain, the high point of the whole Cohutta-Big Frog range.
The Benton MacKaye Trail overlaps part of this route, so official trail mileage reflects the wilderness segment only, not a full trailhead to summit distance. Expect ridge views to the east and west near the top.
Marquee feature
The summit of Big Frog Mountain, at 4,224 feet
Getting there
Forest Service roads to the Cohutta trailheads are gravel, seasonally gated, and often without cell service. Download directions before you leave pavement.
Access roads and winter closures
Open trailhead in Google Maps
Stay near the trailheads
Sherpa Camp — a cabin at the edge of the wilderness.
The drive in from Atlanta or Chattanooga is long enough that most people are better off sleeping near the gate than starting at 4 a.m. Sherpa Camp is a small cabin on Holly Creek, on the western edge of the Cohutta Wilderness, about 25 minutes from Ellijay. It sleeps five, with a covered porch, a firepit, and a creek. Cell service ends before you get there.
See Sherpa Camp