Hawk Mountain (via Three Forks)

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.

Hawk Mountain is a significant stopping points for A.T. thru-hikers since it is located just 8 miles north of the Appalachian Trail’s southern terminus. The mountain has a storied history tied to the U.S. Army Rangers, who have long used the rugged terrain for training exercises out of nearby Camp Frank D. Merrill – sometimes leading hikers to hear distant gunfire from simulated combat missions. A notable mystery on the summit is the large “G 23” marking, believed to have served as a historical aviation navigation aid or an old landing zone. While the original Hawk Mountain Shelter was built around 1960 and later relocated away from military staging areas to protect the trail experience, the site remains a favorite for backpackers who visit the nearby Hickory Flatts Cemetery and the scenic Long Creek Falls.  This hike to Hawk Mountain starts at Three Forks, a nice flat area accessible by USFS 58 where Stover, Chester, and Long Creek converge. We followed the Appalachian Trail from Three Forks past Long Creek Falls (a scenic waterfall with a thirty foot drop) and on to Hawk Mountain (the site of an Appalachian Trail shelter).