Camping along Noontoola Creek – Chattahoochee National Forest at Three Forks

North Georgia camping along the rushing Noontoola Creek near the Appalachian Trail.

Along a rushing, rocky creek in the Chattahoochee National Forest in North Georgia just East of Ellijay, we found one of our favorite camping spaces in North Georgia.  The primitive campsites at Three Forks here along FR 58 are sheltered by beautiful forest of Rhodedendron, hemlock, poplar, and oak – and line the loud, rushing Noontoola Creek as it rolls over the rocky river bed in a series of waterfalls.

Camping is allowed in dedicated campsites only – look for parking spaces off the road and existing fire rings.  The sites are primitive – offering no amenities other than the stone fire rings – but offer the ultimate in beauty in the surrounding Chattahoochee National Forest and the tumbling Noontoola Creek that runs beside the camp sites.

The moss-lined, roaring creek cascades down in small waterfalls along many of the sites – providing great background noise at night (nothing beats falling asleep to the sound of a waterfall in a beautiful section of forest).

The campsites here are set back from the Forest Service Road far enough for decent privacy – and are very generously spaced from other sites (ours was nearly a half mile from the nearest sites).  You’ll be camping around a mile from the convergence of the Benton McKaye Trail and the famed Appalachian Trail – making these sites an excellent base camp for day hikes along either of these famed trails – check out our review of the hike along the Appalachian and Benton McKaye from FR 58 to Long Creek Falls.  Also leaving from this same trailhead, southbound towards Springer Mountain, is our trail review of the 8.6 mile hike of the Appalachian Trail from Three Forks to Springer Mountain, traveling to the Southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  From the campsite, venture further South on FR 58 to the intersection of the Benton McKaye and Appalachian Trails.

Getting there: from Atlanta, take 75 North to 575 towards Ellijay.  In Ellijay, turn right onto the ramp to GA 52.  At the foot of the ramp, turn left to head East on 52, and travel 4.75 miles to Big Creek Road.  Follow Big Creek Road for 15 miles (.4 miles after the pavement ends) and take a right on Forest Road 58.  After passing several residences on FR58, enter the Blue Ridge Wildlife Managment Area of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Campsites will be visible along the Noontoola Creek, which winds to the right side of FR 58.  Our campsite was about halfway to the intersection of FR 58 and the Benton McKaye and Appalachian Trails at GPS coordinates 34.671271,-84.191725.  

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