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.
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 Trail (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. I've
hiked to Springer Mountain from all directions using the Approach Trail from
Amicalola Falls State Park, the Benton MacKaye Trail from Big Stamp Gap, and the
Appalachian Trail from USFS 42. This quick day-hike is from USFS 42 and is
the shortest and easiest of the three routes, although it requires a lengthy
drive on U.S. Forest Service Roads.
