BLACK MOUNTAIN
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| LOCATION:
North Georgia |
| HIKE
STARTS: Three Forks |
| HIKE ENDS:
Amicalola Falls State Park |
| TOTAL
DISTANCE: 12.2 Miles |
| HIKE TYPE:
One Way, Shuttle Hike |
| HIKE
DIFFICULTY: Moderate to Difficult |
| TRAILS
USED: Approach, Appalachian |
| TRAIL
TRAFFIC: Moderate to Heavy |
| TRIP TYPE:
Day or Overnight Hike |
| MANAGEMENT:
Chattahoochee NF |
HIGHLIGHTS:
The Chattahoochee National Forest is one of two National
Forests in the State of Georgia, and it takes
its name from the Chattahoochee River whose headwaters begin in the North
Georgia mountains. The River and the area were given the name by the English
settlers who heard it from the Indians
that once lived here.
The Chattahoochee National Forest was created when the
Forest Service purchased 31,000 acres in Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin and
Union Counties from the Gennett family in 1911 for $7.00 per acre.
In the beginning, the Chattahoochee was part of the
Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests in North Carolina and Tennessee,
but eventually the Forest Service made additional land purchases and expanded
the Chattahoochee to its current size of nearly 750,000 acres.
Springer Mountain is located in the Chattahoochee, and it
is the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Every spring, 2000-3000
thru-hikers
(or individuals that plan to hike the entire A.T. in a single year)
leave from the summit of Springer to attempt a 2100+ mile journey to the
northern terminus at Mt. Katahdin in Maine.
Springer Mountain (3,782 feet) has a bronze plaque (showing a hiker facing
north) that is set in stone next to the first white blaze marking the
Appalachian Trail. There is also a terminus plaque set in a rock behind
the blaze that has a compartment with a trail register of entries from day
hikers, backpackers, and thru-hikers that have visited the area. A shelter
located about 0.2 miles north of Springer on a blue blazed side trail provides
overnight accommodations and has a nearby water source from a mountain spring.
Springer Mountain is crisscrossed by three trails: the
Approach Trail (a blue-blazed access trail that heads down the mountain to
Amicalola Falls State Park), the Appalachian Tail (which runs northbound to
Maine), and the Benton Mackaye Trail (which runs northbound for 100 miles to the
Oconee River in Tennessee). The area is popular with both day and
overnight hikers, and it gets a fair amount of trail traffic.On our hike in April 1995, we followed the Appalachian
Trail southbound across Springer Mountain from Three Forks then descended on
the Approach Trail across Black, Frosty, and Rich Mountains to Amicalola Falls
State Park. There's a fair amount of elevation change on this route, but
it is much easier if done in this direction.
This hike follows the
Appalachian Trail southbound across Springer Mountain from Three
Forks then descends on the Approach Trail across Black, Frosty, and
Rich Mountains to Amicalola Falls State Park. Three Forks,
Springer Mountain (the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail)
and Amicalola Falls are the high points of this hike, and there are
three shelters on this route and numerous campsite for overnight
accommodation.
MORE DETAILS
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