Rough Creek
Cohutta Wilderness Area
National Forest Service
401 Old Ellijay Road
Chatsworth, GA 30705
(706) 695-6736
The Cohutta Wilderness at 36,977 acres is the largest National Forest Wilderness in the southeast and combined with the Big Frog Wilderness in Tennessee the area is some of the most pristine and isolated in the South. Both the Conasauga and Jacks Rivers are stocked with trout and have great fishing. There’s also numerous sand bars, waterfalls, pools, and campsites along the rivers which makes this a very popular overnight destination.
On this hike we followed the Hickory Creek Trail to the junction of the Conasauga and Jacks River Trails. It’s just over a mile to the river and there is a campsite where the two trails meet. If you are feeling more ambitious – you can cross the Conasauga and follow the Conasauga River Trail deeper in the wilderness, or turn right on the Jacks River Trail and hike upstream on the Conasauga. Either way, this is beautiful country.
- click to see our hike down the Hickory Creek Trail and crossing Rough Creek
- click for the trail junction of the Conasauga River and the Jacks River trails and Whitewater Will
- click to view a trip report for this backpacking trip to HIckory Creek: June 5, 2018 (password required)
- click to purchase a Trails Illustrated map of this hike in the Chattahoochee National Forest
- click for a USFS topographical map of the Cohutta Wilderness Area (password required)
- click for the Cohutta Wilderness access roads and their trailheads (password required)
- click for the Cohutta Wilderness hiking trails and their trailheads (password required)
- click for an overview of the Cohutta Wilderness Area hiking trails (password required)
- click for a topo and profile map of this hike on the Hickory Creek Trail (password required)
- click for a terrain map with campsites in this section of the Cohutta Wilderness (password required)
- click for a map of intersecting trails with the Hickory Creek Trail (password required)
- click for more hikes to the Conasauga River and this area in the Cohutta Wilderness
- click for a hike on the Jacks River in the northern section of the wilderness
- click to access the guidebook Hiking Trails Of The Cohutta & Big Frog Wilderness which has details on this hike
