Hiawassee is a small lake town nestled in the North Georgia Mountains near the Appalachian Trail, located a short distance from some of the best hikes in the southeast. Follow our favorite trails near Hiawassee to stunning summit views, tumbling waterfalls, leafy forests filled with ferns and wildflowers, and some absolutely amazing outdoor adventures.
Hike the Coosa Backcountry Trail and the Duncan Ridge Trail at Georgia’s Vogel State Park, climbing to beautiful vistas on the Blood Mountain summit.
Hike the scenic Trahlyta Lake Trail at Vogel State Park, following the shore of the beautiful mountain lake to the stunning cascades of Trahlyta Falls and iconic views of Blood Mountain.
Hike or backpack a thirteen-mile adventure on this view-packed stretch of the Appalachian Trail, exploring Blood Mountain, Neels Gap, Wolf Laurel Top, and Cowrock Mountain.
Hike a six mile loop to Georgia’s highest Appalachian Trail summit, climbing the AT and Byron Reece Trails to beautiful views at the Blood Mountain summit before looping back through a fern-filled forest on the Freeman Trail.
Backpack the Appalachian Trail near Helen, hiking from Hogpen Gap to Unicoi Gap, exploring more than fourteen miles of scenic North Georgia forest, visiting the Low Gap and Blue Mountain AT shelters, and exploring the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River.
Hike the two mile Desoto Falls Trail near Helen to a pair of waterfalls where, legend holds, a piece of armor was found from DeSoto’s expedition in the mid-1500s.
Hike the Minnehaha Falls Trail, a short, easy, kid-friendly hike on Lake Rabun in North Georgia, to a beautiful, towering, cascading waterfall.
Explore Jacks River Falls, a stunning, roaring, rocky waterfall in Georgia’s Cohutta Wilderness, hiking the Beech Bottom Trail & Jacks River Trail.
Hike a 35-mile stretch of the Bartram Trail in Georgia, exploring remote, temperate rainforest corridors and beautiful forest. This multi-day hike climbs to views from Rabun Bald, visits tumbling waterfalls, and descends to the ultra-scenic Chattooga River.