Backpacking the Appalachian Trail: Blood Mountain to Cowrock Mountain

We’ve long held the Blood Mountain Wilderness area to be our favorite in Georgia, offering awe-inspiring views from ridge line peaks and trails through beautiful Georgia forest dotted with rocky outcrops. This hike combines several of our favorites, traveling to the peak of Blood Mountain before...

Paces Mill / Rottenwood Creek Trail in Metro Atlanta

One of our favorite running and walking trails in the metro Atlanta area is the Paces Mill / Rottenwood Creek trail. Following the Chattahoochee River for a quarter mile and then turning to follow Rottenwood Creek to its waterfalls near the end of the trail, this 3.6 mile paved trail blends urban signs of...

A Lakeside Trail Close to Atlanta: Hiking at Red Top Mountain

Clear blue skies, fair weather and hints of Spring make us crave some hiking time in the woods with our black lab – but unfortunately, schedules don’t always permit a day-long drive up to the Chattahoochee National Forest.  We’ve found a few nice trails around the metro area that...

Camping along Noontoola Creek – Chattahoochee National Forest at Three Forks

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 –...

Hiking the Appalachian Trail at Indian Grave Gap

This moderately difficult, 5.5 mile hike presents a challenge from the very start – the trailhead begins a steep ascent to the top of Rocky Mountain with a vertical rise of nearly 1,000 feet in the first mile of trail. The reward, though, is beautiful views from atop the mountain, as well as a...