Georgia Outdoors

Just 2 hours north of Atlanta’s urban sprawl, the Southern Appalachian mountains dip into Georgia. The Chattahoochee-Oconee national forest covers 866,468 acres of North Georgia, effectively all of Georgia's mountains. The land and trails are maintained by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service. The DNR is responsible for the multiple state parks in the area, while the USFS manages the larger national forest. Both of these public reserves house exceptional trails for a variety of hiking and backpacking adventures.

Deciding on a location for a trip may seem to be a daunting task at first, but there are a couple tricks that will be very helpful. The first thing you’ll want to look into when choosing a location for a hike is the distance. Hikes range from one mile to hundreds of miles, so by considering what kind of a trip you want to do, you'll be able to rule out many options. After deciding on the preferred distance, look into what kind of environment the hike is in. Consider whether you want to be in dense forest valley or climbing up to scenic peaks. The final thing to think about is what kind of permits and regulations are required for certain  areas. For example, most state parks will require campsite reservations, and some areas of the national forest have fire bans or require bear canisters.

A great place to look at is a section of the Appalachian trail that  begins in Georgia and runs all the way to Maine. The Coosa backcountry trail, which begins in Vogel state park and runs a 13 mile loop over Duncan ridge, is a classic weekend trip. One of my personal favorite trips is the eight mile Gahuti trail in Fort Mountain state park. This trail requires campsite reservations but is very well maintained and has some great views. If none of these suggestions peak your interest, I suggest looking at Atlanta trails, as it is a great resource with many detailed hike outlines.

By Jake Bogartz