Ten hikes in North Georgia

Ten great hiking locations in Gilmer, Fannin, Union, and Towns Counties

North Georgia is one of the top hiking destinations in the Appalachian Mountains. A weekend in the mountains isn’t complete without a visit to one of the many trails that crisscross the thousands of acres of forested land.

We’ve picked out ten hikes in North Georgia—Fannin, Gilmer, Union, and Towns counties—all within a short drive of the popular towns of Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Blairsville, and Hiawassee.

These hikes offer a variety of natural features, from cascading waterfalls to panoramic mountain vistas to forest trails overarched with towering trees. There are trails for seasoned hikers and casual nature lovers alike, so be sure to pick one that meets your goals and matches your fitness level.

This would be a perfect time to read our blog on What You Need to Hike in the Appalachian Mountains. It includes loads of useful information on how to dress and what to bring on the trail. There are clothing suggestions at every price point, including how to dress for success on your hike wearing the clothes you have in your closet at home.

A note on trail difficulty ratings.

There is no national standard for trail rating. Every scale is different and subjective, so be aware that some one person’s “moderate” might be another person’s “strenuous.”

Know yourself. Realistically assess your fitness level and select a hike that is within your capabilities. If you are a couch potato, you might find one person’s “moderate” to be your “hellish.” On the flip side, ultra-fit marathoners may not find an easy trail physically taxing, but may thoroughly enjoy the walk through nature. After all, hiking isn’t about great feats of endurance (though it can be). It is about getting out on foot to enjoy nature.

Our difficulty scale:

Easy:
Generally suitable for anyone with a basic level of fitness, often involving flat or gentle terrain with minimal elevation change. Couch potato friendly.

Moderate:
Moderate trails offer a bit more of a challenge. You might find longer stretches of incline with some steeper sections.

Challenging/Strenuous:
Varying terrain, significant elevation change, and potentially challenging sections require greater fitness and experience.

Trail Descriptions of Our Ten Hikes in North Georgia

Fannin County

Long Creek Falls: A gentle 2-mile round-trip hike along the Appalachian Trail leading to a stunning 50-foot waterfall. The 5-mile drive to the trailhead follows Noontootla Creek, which is beautiful year-round. Great hike for families and those seeking a peaceful nature walk. Perfect picnic trail! Explore Georgia

Fall Branch Falls: A short 0.5-mile round-trip trail leading to a picturesque waterfall. The path is well-maintained, making it perfect for a quick and easy outing.

Aska Adventure Area: One of the most popular and easily accessible trail areas, the Aska Adventure Area is just minutes from downtown Blue Ridge on Aska Road. This well-maintained 17-mile trail system offers a variety of loops, ranging from 1 to 5.5 miles, that feature mountain ridges, lake views, and dense forests. Suitable for both hikers and mountain bikers. At Aska, you have a few choices for routes and distances.

The Aska Trails system includes the following trails, all are moderately difficult because there are some longish sections of uphills:

• Stanley Gap Trail – 5.5 miles
• Green Mountain Trail – 4.6 miles
• Flat Creek Loop – 5.8 miles
• Stanley Gap/Flat Creek Connector – .1 mile
• Long Branch Loop – 2.0 miles

Gilmer County

Bear Creek Trail: A 6.7-mile double-loop trail that meanders through hardwood forests and along Bear Creek, leading to the impressive Gennett Poplar, Georgia’s second-largest tree. It measures 18 feet around at its base and is the sole surviving old-growth tree in that forest. The trail includes several creek crossings. HikeSouth

Tumbling Waters Nature Trail: This 0.9-mile loop offers a pleasant walk through nature, with water almost always in view and earshot. There’s a waterfall and interpretive signs along the way. It’s a popular choice for a leisurely hike or run. AllTrails

Towns County

Arkaquah Trail: A strenuous 5.5-mile one-way trail descending from Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest peak, to Track Rock Gap. The trail offers expansive ridge-top views and traverses the Brasstown Wilderness. Southern Living

High Shoals Falls: A 2.5-mile round-trip hike leading to observation decks allowing excellent views of two beautiful waterfalls. The trail winds through lush forests and is particularly scenic during the spring and fall seasons. AllTrails

Lake Chatuge Loop: An accessible 1.2-mile loop trail along the shores of Lake Chatuge. The path is mostly flat, making it suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Plan appropriately and be prepared

While none of the hikes in North Georgia listed above are long distance endurance routes or tricky technical trails, you should always plan ahead and be prepared for any event.

Hydration

Be sure to bring water! You might prefer Gatorade or Powerade, but good old-fashioned water is the best source of hydration. Avoid energy trucks because the caffeine combined with the high exertion on climbs may make your heart rate go to unacceptable levels.

A little snacky-snack

It’s easy to burn through all of your energy on a hike, particularly if it’s a cold and wet day. Having some healthy snack food, such as trail mix, roll bars, or even a Snickers bar, can make the difference between dragging oneself back to the trailhead and walking joyfully won’t take much to give you a little bit of energy to make it to the end of the walk.

Cell phone

Not all of these hikes in North Georgia have good coverage, but it’s a good idea to have some means of communication with you, just in case. Using your GPS can certainly help if you get disoriented in the woods. It’s always a good idea to download the map of the area in which you will be hiking so you won’t have to rely on slow connection speeds when accessing satellite imagery.

A compass

Not everyone owns a compass these days, and that’s a shame. We all know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but most people don’t know which part of the sky the sun is in at midday (south, by the way, in the Appalachian Mountains). It’s an academic discussion, anyway, because most of the time you won’t see the sun in the deep woods and little hollers. That’s why a compass is helpful. They don’t require batteries and weigh almost nothing, and you can get a functional model cheap at Walmart or Amazon.

Getting There

All these hikes in North Georgia are within a short drive from Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Blairsville, and Hiawassee, Georgia. Trailheads are typically well-marked, and parking is available at most locations. For detailed directions, refer to the Google Maps links provided in the table above and follow the links to other sites that have detailed hiking information.

Other resources

There are three excellent websites that are hiking-specific. Each has a wealth of information on the hikes listed above and dozens, if not hundreds, of others. Be sure to check out AllTrails, HikeTheSouth.com, and Atlanta Trails. Despite its name, Atlanta Trails is not exclusively about trails in Atlanta, but rather those within driving range of the city.

Read our blog on hiking in the Appalachian Mountains (What You Need to Hike in the Appalachian Mountains). It contains loads of great information on what to wear, what to bring, and how to carry it.