My first time walking this monstrousity I went the wrong way, basically walked up Hill most of the…read moreway. I'm going to tackle this beast yet once again, this time I'll go the right way. Very nice walking trail, beautiful scenery, and slot of trees.

I found this hike for the family online as we were at the outlets in Dawsonville and this is not…read moretoo far from there near UNG. If you are coming from there, park in the second parking lot on the right to begin the hike. There are some great lookout points and benches along the way, with a couple of bench swings. We also saw people hammocking along some of the outshoots of the trail. The scenery is good, but you are near the road and can hear it for the first part of the loop hike. Then there are 2 parts where you walk along the road with speeding cars zooming by. this may not be best for kids, but ours handled it fine. you can avoid this if you go out and back, instead of doing the loop.

Overall great hike. A few steep sections but nothing too crazy. Beautiful scenery the whole way…read more Would recommend for anyone looking for a solid outdoor experience.

My partner and I recently visited Clarksville for a spontaneous hiking trip. Panther Creek Trail…read morewas at the very top of our list and we were not disappointed. At first we were worried that the trail would be closed due to the storm damage that occurred during the prior year but we drove by and there were multiple parties going in and out of the trail so we figured we would go for it! This trail is long and arduous, so be prepared! Us Floridians definitely overestimated our hiking abilities but we still got it done (thankfully). Bring around 2L per person or more if it's a hot day. We started on a Friday around 2pm and finished by 6:30pm and clocked in a total of 8 miles round trip. If you can go earlier, I highly recommend doing so to have plenty of light. There's two main parts of the trail where the bridges were damaged and removed. In one section, there's several logs that lay across the stream. Find a big stick, and scramble across. In the second section, the water is shallow enough to walk across without the possibility of getting your legs wet. But even if you get wet, both sections are not deeper than your ankle. I don't know if I'd recommend this for children as there are multiple sudden drop offs but more power to you if your family can do this! If you are a hiker, this does not disappoint!

Decently maintained trail head with great views. A little over a mile to the waterfall. Good amount…read moreof parking at the trailhead. There are some large logs that you need to climb over near the falls and if it's rained recently at all the pathway can get slippery. Super worth the short hike!! The falls itself is stunning and you can swim up to it. Water is FREEZING but it's a fun dip!

The falls were just a mile from the trail head. We didn't venture further. It was a fun short out…read moreand back and scenic trail. Fun for the dogs. Fun for us to get a little wet too. This water feeds right into Burton Lake which is beautiful. I had planned to summit Double Spring Knob as my 16th 4ker in Georgia but Wildcat Road was closed for maintenance and it was another 7 mile hike from the closure, something I might have run, but today was a family weekend, and I think I made the right call. Double Knob will have to wait another day.

If there wasn't a recent rain or snow, the falls are not really falling. Even with the little…read morewater fall I was there for, it was still memorable. Plenty of parking. BUT, not free and definitely not easy. No cell phone signal to download app that is required to pay the $5 fee. Driving in can be stressful, as there are motorcycles zooming all around you on the winding roads. Also the loud motorcycles take away from the sound ambiance at times. There are toilets, but they are literally holes in the ground with no lighting, so just be mentally prepared for that. There is a north waterfall and a south waterfall. The north is not only larger, but an easier climb. South waterfall is tiny and basically switchback stairs. The best activity here would be camping in either tent or rv by the beautiful creek.

Definitely a good set of falls (Upper and Lower falls) to see in the area…read more This is one of the easier falls to get to in the area. It is right off of 19 which is a 2-lane road. To get to either the upper or lower falls you park at the DeSoto Falls recreation area. This location has a campground and a parking lot next to it. There were about 40 parking spots for cars at the parking lot portion along with a bathroom and informational board. If you are going to go here make sure you look at their website and download the app or purchase a parking pass before you get there. There is very poor cell service when you are at the parking lot and the sign recommends going online to purchase a pass through the app but with poor cell service that is problematic. A parking pass is $5 and can be purchased online or at any state park. The trailhead for both the upper and lower falls is right after the campground and across a small bridge spanning a lovely creek. The upper falls is to the right and the lower falls is to the left. The lower falls are about 1/4 of a mile up a fairly steep and often narrow trail for most of the path. The viewing platform is smaller than the Upper falls platform but can fit several people comfortably. I really enjoyed this hike and the one to the Upper Falls. They were in a drought when I went so the falls are not really full but the view was still nice. If you feel adventurous, I would recommend doing the Upper falls after this. Enjoy.

Those looking for a short waterfall hike will appreciate Becky Branch Falls. It is approximately a…read morehalf mile hike round trip from the Warwoman Dell parking area to the falls via Bartram Trail. It can be easily viewed from a small bridge that crosses directly in front of the 20' waterfall. If you are feeling more adventurous, you can continue along Bartram Trail another 1.8 miles to Martin Creek Falls. It is mostly downhill, so the hike there is easy until you must return along the same path. Still, for the most part the trail is not terribly strenuous in any area. I walked this trail with a father and his 6 year old daughter that I met in the Warwoman Dell parking area. This tiny little lady easily conquered the trail, although I'm not sure how she handled the return trip since they stayed to swim in the pool of water at the base of Martin Creek Falls. The trail passes another waterfall that I don't believe has a name. It is a beautiful 8 foot multitiered waterfall, but it's not the big show! Travel approximately 1/3rd of a mile further past this fall to reach Martin Creek Falls. Believe me, it is worth the extra hike. THE AREA However, if you choose to only visit Becky Branch Falls, then be sure to check out the interactive trail through Warwoman Dell. Lots of informative signs will tell you about the area and the woman for whom it is named, Nancy Ward. Pronounced Nanye-hi, this Chreokee woman (whom belonged to the Wolf Clan) fought against the Creek Indians with her Cherokee husband. He was killed in battle, yet Nanye-hi rallied to lead her fellow Cherokees and defeated the Creeks. She was given the prestigious title of Ghighau (Beloved Woman) by her clan, which in turn gave her a council voice regarding decisions of war and peace. She eventually met and married an English trader by the name of Bryant Ward and spent the rest of her days trying to make peace between the Cherokee Nation and the Settlers. SOURCE: Scenic USA - Georgia The trail is a 1.5 mile loop that highlights the variety of plants such as the vast array of ferns, wildflowers and rhododendrons. This I believe is a nod to John Bartram (considered America's first botanist), Father of William Bartram of whom Bartram Trail is named. The trail is also said to have a beautiful scenic overlook, but I was honestly too tired to fully walk the loop trail to discover the view after my waterfall hike. Also along the trail is evidence of 18th century plans to build a railroad through this area. The bed for the railroad can still be seen in Warwoman Dell. FINAL THOUGHTS Family friendly hike that encompasses a lot of the things I love about being out in nature: Waterfalls, scenic views, beautiful plants and historic sites. I can only imagine what this trail looks like in the Spring when the rhododendrons are in bloom. 2018/53

This was a fun trail! I don't know much about hiking but this seemed like a fairly easy hike with a…read moregreat payoff in the form of a very pretty waterfall. We went in early November and saw a handful of other people. There We did not do the loop, instead continuing up on the Martin Creek Falls trail. I highly recommend, if you're up looking for a 4+ mile hike. If I had to make one criticism, it'd be that the trail doesn't go far from the road so you're hearing traffic for the duration of the hike. Not that it's a heavily trafficked road but you can definitely hear passing cars. There is parking just east of the trailhead at Warwoman Dell. Lastly, I had zero cell service on this trail! I got one tiny pulse of 3G at the trailhead, which enabled me to send a text I'd been trying to send since we parked, but nothing other than that. Lack of service aside, I would gladly hike this trail again!

It is wildly cool that you can still walk/run up this mountain just like the 101st Airborne did in…read morethe 1940s. The trail is gravelled and extremely well maintained since it serves a utility tower on the top of the mountain. The grade of the trail is usually pretty gradual with only a couple portions where it gets really steep, but it is a continual slope for 3 miles so you have to be at least a little physically fit to tackle it. There is a really nice parking area with an informational sign right off the turn to Currahee Mountain Road where you can park. The trail from the parking not is not "original" to the Camp, but it comes around a curve and then joins up with the original trail that comes out of the Camp.

I just moved here, and this has by far been the best spot. We took the jeep to the top and sat and…read moreenjoyed the view for a while. It's pretty cold this time of year so bundle up. SO WORTH IT.

Venue Smithgall Woods State Park ( Smithgall Cottages) 5 out of 5 stars…read more After copious amounts of research and several venue tours, we decided on Smithgall Woods state park, and more specifically the cottages as the venue for our wedding on June 8th. We just have to say we loved the team we worked with at Smithgall, mainly Todd, Patty, and Art. Todd at Guestservices was simply fantastic! As he will be quick to mention "the venue sells itself", however having him as our man on the inside was a pretty huge selling point on its own. He was with us every step of the way to answer our plethora of questions, work with vendors, and generally keep our minds at ease. Honestly, I doubt the wedding weekend would have gone as smoothly and been as much of a success had it not been for Todd's guidance and cooperation. The venue is magical. I know how that sounds, but it's the truth. It's tucked away deep in the beautiful North Georgia mountains, surrounded by a lush forest teaming with wildlife. This majestic property consists of five "cottages", in quotations because they are more like log cabin style mansions. The two largest being; the expansive 4 bedroom 4.5 bathroom cottage called the Smithgall Cottage, and the even larger 5 bedroom 5 bathroom Dover cottage. The Creekside Cottage is 3 bedrooms, and The Laurel and Garden cottages are one bedroom cottages with hot tubs on secluded side porches. All the cottages were clean, modern, and a huge hit with our guests. We were able to house both our families, close friends and wedding party all on the same property. Which saved us a great deal on lodging. Which after factoring in the cost of rooms made this one of the more affordable wedding venues out there. Also you get it for the whole weekend!!! We used the Smithgall Cottage for our wedding location due to the large wrap around porch and decks, and also due to the picturesque, covered foot bridge under which flows a gorgeous champion trout stream. We had some difficulty deciding where on this property to hold our ceremony because it is simply lovely all over. Unfortunately, the record rainfall that weekend made the decision for us. Even though the storms limited our use of the enormous field in front of the Dover cottage, and the gardens next to Smithgall we still were able to comfortably host our 50 or so guests and dozen vendors, at the Smithgall Cottage and our ceremony and reception went along wonderfully. We would highly recommend this venue to anyone wishing to have a once in a lifetime event at a once in a lifetime location.

I came here to see the covered bridge, but discovered they have so much more…read more THE SCENE Smithgall Woods may not be someplace Georgians are familiar with, unless you are an avid hunter or trout fisherman. It was once private property that was gifted to the state by conservationist Charles A. Smithgall Jr. in 1994. A large section still remains private property for the Smithgall family, but what was gifted is a treasure trove of beautiful mountains, streams, meadow fields and wetlands. I began my solo hike around 12:15pm from the Visitors Center. There I was given a map and a few brief highlights of points of interest, like the waterfalls and gold mine. I then set off one what turned out to be a 4.5 hour adventure. Probably not the smartest of ideas since I had surgery just three weeks ago. But I was tired of resting around the house and desperately wanted to get out and do something. Besides, nature brings a calmness to my inner being and allows me to relax my mind in ways I just can't at home. It was a perfect day with perfect temperatures for hiking. In my entire time there, I only ran across one other human. ----- THE HIKE Inside the Visitor's Center is a gift shop and small wildlife museum of the nature plants and animals. I walked down the paved Tsalaki Trail towards the Cathy Ellis Trail (approximately 2.6 mile away). The trail starts off as a fairly steep incline. Along the way I saw a sign saying "caution - bees". I thought that was a curious warning until I noticed the white honey bee houses in the woods nearby. Next came the wetlands with a one mile looping trail and a boardwalk into the marshes. Here you have a strong possibility of seeing a beaver at work on a dam. I decided to save this area for my return hike and I'm glad I did. My energy on the return leg was running very low and I needed the benches here for a nice long rest. I reached the covered bridge about 37 minutes after leaving the visitors center. It was a real beauty made in the simple Town Lattice style. The memorial plaque at the entrance was titled "Bay's Bridge In loving memory of 'Bay' Elizabeth Smithgall Watts", whom died the year the land for the state park was gifted. It crosses the amazing mountain stream known as Duke's Creek. The creek from here will be a large part of your journey. The trail turns to gravel just past the bridge. MARTIN'S MINE was one of the first Gold mines in Georgia. Most of the mining occurred from 1829 to 1935. By the 1840's most of the easy gold was gone and hard mining began. Miners dug tunnels and shafts to remove ore from deep underground. You can still see some of the entrances and shafts. The trail is well marked with numbers, so be sure to pick up the Mining Trail brochure at the Visitor's Center to help you decode the locations. There is a spur trail off the Martin's Mine loop that takes you to a waterfall used for hydraulic mining, which began in the 1850's. It is an uphill hike, but the waterfall is very nice. Back on the main trail I traveled another 1/2 mile to Cathy Ellis Trail. This 1/2 mile trail starts off uphill, but once you reach the shelter it's all downhill from there. The trail ends at the beautiful Chunannee waterfall (which means friendship). Lots of vegetation on this portion of the hike. This land was once the home of Lucy Bryant, a Cherokee Indian widow whom was granted this 640 acre parcel in the Treaty of 1817. But by 1839 the Trail of Tear forced all Cherokee Indians off their land to relocate in Oklahoma. They curiously chose to name the trail after a 19 year old girl who fell over a waterfall in a different county altogether instead of the Indian widow Lucy. I don't get that, but whatever. The waterfall here is beautiful. I sat here about 25 minutes resting and admiring its beauty and feeling sad for the ancient Cherokee Indian nation. I arrived here approx. 2.5 hours after I began my journey from the visitors center. NOTE: Prior to arriving at the Cathy Ellis trail there is another steep incline, similar to the one near the Visitor's Center. ----- FINAL THOUGHTS In total I hiked approximately 7.5 miles today. I would normally have done this in probably 3 hours, but I tried to go at an easier pace since I'm still recovering from surgery. I allowed myself plenty of places to sit and rest, the most enjoyable of them being the waterfall on the Cathy Ellis Trail. Smithgall Woods State Park is indeed a wonderful place for those who love nature and peaceful hiking venues. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND giving them a visit.

If you plan to tackle the Appalachian Trail, head on over to Hogpen Gap. Between 13 and 14 miles is…read morethe distance for it. Some people have told me 13.4 miles, others say 13.8, I just say 14 and round it off. This is one way. I would suggest you either have a friend who parked at Unicoi Gap and drive with you to Hogpen Gap so you both could hike it. Otherwise, remember you have to walk back to your car afterwards so that's 14 x 2 = 28 miles. Hogpen Gap does has its own parking lot, so does Unicop Gap. Honestly, I would've never thought to tackle this trail without the support of my job. We were walking for a charity event and each miles per person = a dollar donation for Gigi's Playhouse. You can see it all on the news here, our journey. The video is here http://www.fox5atlanta.com/recipebox/270043868-video The article is here http://www.fox5atlanta.com/good-day/269973657-story I just want to say kudos to those who want to tackle the AT!! It is rough in some areas. Overall, the trail is moderate but some parts are strenuous with inclines of boulders. There are areas for camping and water (literally water running down the stream, many take filter water bottles). We actually met a lady who was doing the trail solo and camping. I find it amazing that people do have that passion. Honestly, I can proudly say that I've done this trail. It was tough in the past few miles. I was okay up until 11.5 miles. After that, my legs felt like jello. It took roughly 7.5 hours to finish it. More than halfway on the trail, you can see the birth of the Chattahoochee River, from a small stream that heads towards Atlanta. Whoever thought! Stay on the white trail. If you see a blue trail, it means it's an off trail. The white trail means you're still on the AT. If you see two double white lines, it means you will make a sharp turn. 103/2017

Trail effing Magic!…read more Ron of Ron's Appalachian Trail Shuttle and other Friends of the AT leave fresh clean water at the Gap. It's also a nice paved area to park your car and go for a day hike. If you're section or thru hiking, about a halfish mile or so south is a natural shelter. Several large rock formations that you can seek shelter under or setup a small tent under to get out of the wind or rain. I did and it was absolutely amazing. If you set a campfire the boulders vector the smoke perfectly to make a smoke blanket for warmth if you get your tent set properly with ventilation and all. I was warm all night (late October) with embering logs overnight. Another bonus of this gap; IF you need a break from the roughness of the trail(heading south) the highway will bring you back to it at Testanee Gap. Park, take a hike. Well with it.