North Cohutta
Jacks River
The Jacks drains the north side of the wilderness and carries the most water. Its trails follow the river rather than avoid it, which means repeated fords and long wet days.
| Trail | Distance | Difficulty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beech Bottom Trail The standard way in to Jacks River Falls, on an old grade with one crossing at the end. | 10 mi round trip | Moderate | 1 crossing |
| Jacks River Trail - Beech Bottom to Alaculsey Valley The downstream half of the Jacks River, twenty-two crossings through the lower gorge. | 8.3 mi one way | Strenuous | 22 crossings |
| Jacks River Trail – Dally Gap to Beech Bottom The upper half of the Jacks River corridor, twenty crossings and the falls. | 8.5 mi one way | Strenuous | 20 crossings |
| Rough Ridge Trail Fourteen miles and three thousand feet along the ridge above the Jacks River. | 14.4 mi round trip | Strenuous | At least 1 (Rough Creek) |
| East Cowpen Trail The central roadbed running the divide, and the junction for half the trails in the range. | 13.2 mi round trip | Strenuous | No crossings recorded |
| Hemp Top Trail – GA The north end climb from Dally Gap to the Tennessee line, just over ten miles round trip. | 10.6 mi round trip | Strenuous | No crossings recorded |
| Rice Camp Trail Seven miles round trip with modest gain, on the quiet north end of the wilderness. | 7 mi round trip | Moderate | 9 crossings |
| Hickory Ridge Trail A three and a half mile ridge descent from East Cowpen to the Jacks River, just upstream of the falls. | 3.5 mi one way | Moderate to Strenuous | No crossings recorded |
| Iron Mountain Trail An eleven and a half mile loop along the Georgia-Tennessee line, built for mountain biking and rarely crowded. | 11.7 mi loop | Moderate to Strenuous | 2 river fords, plus several small creek crossings |
| Penitentiary Branch Trail A short connector down to the Jacks River, from Hemp Top Trail. | 3.6 mi one way | Moderate | No crossings recorded |
| Horseshoe Bend Trail A climb over Ken Mountain to an unmarked overlook of the Jacks River's horseshoe bend, then down to the Jacks River Trail. | 6 mi round trip | Moderate | 2 small stream crossings |
| Sugar Cove Trail A short, currently closed connector between Rough Ridge Trail and the Jacks River, through a sugar maple cove. | 2.2 mi one way | Moderate to Strenuous | No crossings recorded |
| Benton Mackaye Trail 10B Dally Gap To Big Frog Mountain Under seven miles and thirty six hundred feet of gain to the top of Big Frog. | 6.8 mi one way | Strenuous | No crossings recorded |
| Benton Mackaye Trail 10A Bushyhead Mountain To Dally Gap Nearly twenty miles across the divide from Bushyhead to Dally Gap. | 19.7 mi one way | Strenuous | No crossings recorded |