HAWK MOUNTAIN (VIA HIGHTOWER GAP)

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.

This hike to Hawk Mountain Shelter starts at Hightower Gap and climbs about 500 feet over 0.5 miles to a blue-blazed side trail that leads to the shelter. It’s a 0.2 mile hike from here down to the shelter which has plenty of campsites, a privy, and a stream for a water source (located a distance from the privy of course). The two story shelter was built around 1993 and can accommodate about 12 hikers.