Hiking
Running right through the heart of the Ocoee Region is the Cherokee National Forest, providing some of the most pristine hiking in the southeast. Three rivers - the Ocoee River, Hiwassee River and Conasauga River - cut through the spine of the Cohutta Mountains - forming beautiful waterfalls and outstanding vistas. For the lover of nature and solitude, there are four wilderness areas - Cohutta Wilderness (largest wilderness designation in the east), Big Frog Wilderness surrounding the regions largest mountain, Gee Creek Wilderness and Little Frog Wilderness.
The majority of hiking trails lie within the Big Frog/Cohutta Wilderness Areas. However, there are many other splendid trails scattered about the Ocoee Region. The mountain bike trails on Chilhowee Mountain make an excellent place for day hikes because of their easy accessibility (watch out for bikers on these trails). The Benton Falls trail culminates with a beautiful waterfall during the wetter times of the year. Other trails include those in the Little Frog Wilderness, near the Hiwassee River and Gee Creek Wilderness.
Most of the time getting lost on the way to the trail is more common than getting lost in the woods. Here are some of our favorite trails with a brief description and directions to the trailhead:
Big Frog/Cohutta Wilderness
Because they share a common boundary, these wilderness areas are often considered together. "Hiking Trails of the Cohutta & Big Frog Wildernesses" by Tim Homan is an excellent guide to this hiking gem of our region. He gives detailed description of flora and fauna likely to be encountered along each of the trails. In addition, his directions to the 8 Access Points on Map 1 are nearly goof proof.
An examination of the overview map will show the Wilderness Area roughly shaped like an egg tilted to a northeast/southwest orientation. This egg is enclosed by a rectangle of highways - Highway 64 on the north, Hwy 411 on the west, Hwys 5 and 76 on the east and on the south Hwy 52. Between the rectangle and the perimeter of the egg is a vast area of Cherokee National Forest and private land which must be negotiated to reach the trailhead. The roads in this area are a network of windy, mostly unmarked paved back roads and US Forest Service gravel roads.
In addition to Homan's book, other useful publications include the USFS Topo map of the "Cohutta and Big Frog Wilderness" (also available at ocoee.com and Rock Creek) along with state highway maps of Georgia and Tennessee.
Assuming you've negotiated the expanse between the highways and the egg, here are a few of our favorite trails. The numbers in parentheses are numbers used by the Forest Service on signs.
Big Frog Wilderness
Big Frog Mountain (4224 ft) is the highest peak in the Ocoee Region. Three trails,
Big Frog (64), Wolf Ridge (66) and Licklog Ridge (65) radiate from the top like spokes with their lower ends on forest service roads. Other trails tie into these.
Chestnut Mountain (63) feeds into Wolf Ridge, while Big Creek (68) and Yellow Stand Lead (73)
have their highest end at their intersection with Big Frog Trail. These three also
begin on forest service roads. Rough Creek (70) and Fork Ridge (69) are interior trails
with each end beginning on another trail. Two others, Grassy Gap (67) and West Fork (303)
begin on forest service roads and tie into other approach trails - Grassy Gap crosses Big Creek
before terminating at it's intersection with Big Frog and Yellow Stand Lead.
West Fork ends at Rough Creek Trail. Grassy Gap and Rough Creek
are the only trails which do not lead toward the top of Big Frog Mountain but rather traverse its side. Click here to view Cohutta hiking trail.
Cohutta Wilderness
This Wilderness, largest in the east, contains 17 trails ranging in length from the 1.8 mile
Chestnut Lead (90) to the 16.5 mile Jack's River (13). Two more times the
ridgeline of the Cohutta Mountains attains 4000 feet or more - at its namesake Cohutta Mountain (4149 ft.)
and Bald Mountain (4000 ft.). Following the predominant drainages of the area,
Jack's River and Conasauga River (11) cross and recross their streams many times
requiring numerous fords. Jack's River Falls, featured in much of the literature about the
Cohuttas, can most easily be reached by Beech Bottom Trail (74). Another year-round
waterfall, Panther Creek Falls, is not so easily reached being beside the interior Panther Creek Trail (116).
Probably the easiest approach to Panther Creek Trail is via East Cowpen Trail (30).
East Cowpen is the former roadbed of Georgia Hwy 2 skirting the summit of Cohutta Mountain before the intersection with Panther Creek Trail. Click here to view Cohutta hiking trail.
Gee Creek Wilderness
Gee Creek is a much smaller wilderness area and much more easily reached for day hiking.
To reach the Gee Creek Wilderness from the intersection of Hwy 64 and Hwy 411, travel north on
411 through Benton and cross the Hiwassee River. Approximately one mile past the river Gee Creek Rd.
will turn to the right. Follow this road to its end at the trailheads of the only two trails
through the Gee Creek Wilderness - Gee Creek (191) and Starr Mountain (190). Gee Creek
crosses the stream (the first of which is aided by a bridge) about eight times before it dead
ends necessitating a back track. Along the way the creek dances through a tight gorge with
numerous small waterfalls. Starr Mountain curves around the creek on its way to the top of its namesake. Starr Mountain is the westernmost ridge of the Appalachian Mountain chain and offers stunning views of the plain below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
