BENTON MACKAYE TRAIL (SPRINGER MOUNTAIN TO BIG STAMP GAP)
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests
1755 Cleveland Highway
Gainesville, GA 30501
770 297-3000
The Benton MacKaye Trail is a work in progress, and it currently runs nearly 100 miles from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to US Hwy 64 & 74 near the Ocoee River in Tennessee. The trail is named for Benton MacKaye, who first published a proposal for the creation of the Appalachian Trail in the early 1900’s while hiking in Vermont.
The current plan is for the Benton MacKaye Trail to continue through the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and eventually reach the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and rejoin with the Appalachian Trail. (For more information, you can visit the Benton MacKaye Trail Association website. Its members volunteer for trail development, construction, maintenance and repair.)
I’ve hiked this section of the Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) a few times. In 1997, we hiked a four mile loop that that started at USFS 42, climbed to Springer Mountain, dropped to Big Stamp Gap, then finished back at the A.T. parking area on USFS 42. In 1999, we camped at Big Stamp Gap, hiked up to Springer Mountain, then backtracked to our campsite. Both hikes are fairly easy and take you to the southern terminus of both the Appalachian and Benton MacKaye Trails where there are nice views to the south.
This short section of the Benton MacKaye Trail starts at Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of both the Benton MacKaye and Appalachian Trails and descends gradually for about 700 feet. There are outstanding views to the south from the bronze plaque and first white blaze at Springer Mountain, and there is also a nice vista to the east just past Ball Mountain on the BMT. At Big Stamp Gap, the Benton MacKaye Trail crosses USFS 42 and a nice drive-in campsite and continues northbound.
- click to view a video shot at Springer Mountain Shelter near the start of the Benton MacKaye Trail
- click to see trail photos from this backpacking trip on BMT Section 1: October 18, 1997, March 26, 2017
- click to view a trip report of this hike to Big Stamp Gap : October 18, 1997, December 5, 1999, March 26, 2017 (password required)
- click to view hiking and backpacking maps: area map, detailed map (N2V) detailed map (BMT section one)
- click for overview map one, overview map two (password required), profile map (N2V), profile map (BMT section one)
- click to view maps of the Benton MacKaye Trail: overview map
- click to view trail notes from section one of the Benton MacKaye Trail
- click for more information on the Benton MacKaye Trail
- click for Benton MacKaye Trail hiking and backpacking books
- click to access the guidebook Best Hikes With Dogs Georgia And South Carolina which has details on this destination
- click for other Georgia hiking and backpacking books
- click for other hikes on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia
- click here to add your hike, trip report, or feedback for this destination
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