Hickory Ridge Trail
A three and a half mile ridge descent from East Cowpen to the Jacks River, just upstream of the falls.
ThumbnailThis is a reference photo, not this trail. Have a photo of it? Post it in the Cohutta Wilderness Facebook group and it may end up here.
- Distance
- 3.5 mi one way
- Elevation gain
- Not recorded
- Trail type
- Point to Point
- Difficulty
- Moderate to Strenuous
- Crossings
- No crossings recorded
- Best season
- Spring through fall.
Closed
The Forest Service closed this trail and Rough Ridge in July 2025 for public safety, after Hurricane Helene added blowdowns and dense regrowth to damage left by the 2016 drought and wildfires. The closure order ran through July 30, 2026 unless extended, and more recent Forest Service alerts list only Rough Ridge as closed. Confirm current status with the Conasauga Ranger District, (706) 695-6736, before you go.
Wilderness status
Inside Cohutta 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
Hickory Ridge Trail, Forest Service Trail 71, leaves East Cowpen Trail near Buckeye Mountain, about two and six tenths miles in from the northern East Cowpen trailhead on FS 51, and drops along the ridge to the Jacks River Trail. From that junction, Jacks River Falls is about six tenths of a mile downstream. Going down, it walks as a moderate trail. Coming back up, the steep pitches make it strenuous.
Its value is the connection. Hickory Ridge is what turns East Cowpen and Rice Camp into a loop past the falls, and it forms half of the long ridge loop with Rough Ridge.
Marquee feature
The ridge route from East Cowpen down to the Jacks River above the falls
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 MapsLoops that use this trail
- East Cowpen, Hickory Ridge, and Rice Camp
12.1 mile loop
Hickory Ridge was closed by Forest Service order with Rough Ridge. Confirm it has reopened before planning this loop.
- East Cowpen, Hickory Ridge, Jacks River, and Rough Ridge
15.9 mile loop
Not currently walkable. Rough Ridge is closed by the Forest Service, and Hickory Ridge was closed with it.
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