Slaughter Gap

The Blood Mountain Wilderness area received its designation in 1991, and it is a sub-section of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The wilderness area is bordered to the northwest by Georgia Highway 60 and the Blue Ridge mountain range, and to the northeast by Georgia Highway 19/129 and Neels Gap. Major trails in this area include the Appalachian Trail, Freeman Trail, the Dockery Lake/Miller Gap Trail, the Coosa Backcountry Trail, the Duncan Ridge Trail, The Bare Hair Trail, and the Slaughter Creek Trail.  The Reece Memorial Trail crosses the Appalachian Trail and joins with the Freeman Trail which it follows along the southern slope of Blood Mountain to Bird Gap. We set up camp in this area, then hiked the next day through Slaughter Gap and over Blood Mountain. It’s a steep climb to the summit at 4,461 feet but the views from a rock outcropping near the shelter are spectacular. Blood Mountain is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, and it is the second highest peak in the State (after Brasstown Bald.)

For an overnight backpacking trip, there are a few options. First, there is tent camping near Slaughter Gap, second there are two shelters available which can accommodate 8-12 people. Woods Hole Shelter is located 0.4 miles off the trail and only 0.1 miles from Bird Gap. Blood Mountain Shelter is an enclosed stone structure which is located at the summit Blood Mountain. Woods Hole has water from a nearby spring, but Blood Mountain does not have a water source, so you will have to carry it up from Slaughter Gap or from the trailhead. There is a stream at Slaughter Gap which makes it a heavily used camping area that has room for only a few tents. We started our hike to Slaughter Gap from the Reece Memorial Parking Area off GA 19/129 near Neels Gap. The Reece Memorial Trail crosses the Appalachian Trail and joins with the Freeman Trail which it follows along the southern slope of Blood Mountain to Bird Gap. We set up camp in this area, then hiked the next day through Slaughter Gap and over Blood Mountain. It’s a steep climb to the summit at 4,461 feet but the views from a rock outcropping near the shelter are spectacular. Blood Mountain is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, and it is the second highest peak in the State (after Brasstown Bald.) We finished our hike by descending Blood Mountain and following the Reece Memorial Trail back to the parking area along GA 19/129.