Outdoors | Blue Ridge, Georgia
Outdoors in Georgia includes hiking trails, paddling guides, natural areas, environmental experiences, and scores of other outdoor adventures. Discover Georgia Outdoors for yourself and share your experiences with others. Use the “Leave A Comment” box below each listing to add information, update, or ask questions about Georgia Outdoors or any other website content.
Featured | Lake Blue Ridge Marina
Blue Ridge, GA, Outdoors, Boating, Marinas
Located on Lake Blue Ridge, the marina has everything you need to spend a memorable day on this lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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Outdoors Listings
Adventure Trail Rides
Blue Ridge, GA, Outdoors, Horseback Riding
Adventure Trail Rides offers guided scenic horse trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains for adults and children alike.
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Benton MacKaye Trail Section 3
Location: Western Blue Ridge, GA 60to Skeenah Gap; Features: Forest, views; Distance: 5.6 miles; Difficulty Rating: Moderate to strenuous; County: Fannin and Union; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (NW), Blairsville (NE); Maps: Wilscot and Mulky Gap Quads (GA); Blazes: White diamonds; Water Sources: Mile 0.0: Little Skeenah Creek is not recommended as a source for drinking water even with a filter; mile 3.6: spring about 25 feet to right of trail; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Benton MacKaye Trail Section 4
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Wilscot Mountain, Skeenah Gap to Wilscot Gap; Features: Winter views; Distance: 5.3 miles; Difficulty Rating: Moderate; County: Union and Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Wilscot Quad (GA); Blazes: White diamonds; Water Sources: Mile 2.1: spring 150 yards to right (north) of the trail at Payne Gap; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Benton MacKaye Trail Section 5
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Tipton Mountain, Wilscot Gap to Shallowford Bridge; Features: Winter views, Toccoa River; Distance: 7.5 miles; Difficulty Rating: Moderate; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Wilscot and Blue Ridge Quads (GA) ; Blazes: White diamonds; Water Sources: Miles 2.0, 2.3, 2.8: seasonal springs; mile 4.1: spring to right of trail at Garland Gap; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Benton MacKaye Trail Section 6
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Shallowford Bridge to Weaver Creek Road; Features: Toccoa River, streams, Fall Branch Falls, views; Distance: 9.5 miles; Difficulty Rating: Moderate; County: Fannin and Gilmer; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Blue Ridge Quad (GA); Blazes: White diamonds; Water Sources: Miles 0.4-3.6: Stanley Creek and its tributaries; mile 7.8: rivulet 250 yards to right of trail at shallow gap; mile 9.4: trail crosses Laurel Creek; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Benton MacKaye Trail Section 7
Location: Georgia Piedmont, Boardtown Creek, Weaver Creek Road to Bushy Head Gap; Features: Streams, lakes, Indian Rock; Distance: 8.7 miles; Difficulty Rating: Easy to moderate; County: Fannin and Gilmer; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Blue Ridge and Cashes Valley Quads (GA); Blazes: White diamonds; Campsites: Mile 4.3: shelter on Sisson property; Water Sources: Private property streams at frequent intervals
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Benton MacKaye Trail Section 8
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Cohutta Mountains, Bushy Head Gap to Dyer Gap; Features: Winter views, streams; Distance: 12.8 miles; Difficulty Rating: Moderate to strenuous; County: Fannin and Gilmer; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (E), Ellijay (S); Maps: Cashes Valley and Dyer Gap Guads (GA); Blazes: White diamonds; Water Sources: Mile 2.6: Spring 200 yards north of Hudson Gap; mile 5.4: trail crosses stream in cove; mile 8.6: spring 200 yards north of Halloway Gap; mile 9.7: spring 30 yards west of trail: mile 10.7: trail crosses stream; Ranger District: Cohutta
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Blue Ridge Lake Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Lake Blue Ridge Recreation Area; Features: Lakeshore; Distance: 0.6 mile (loop); Difficulty Rating: Easy; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Blue Ridge Quad (GA); Blazes: None, none needed; Campsites: Available seasonally in the recreation area campground; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Cooper Creek Recreational Area
Blue Ridge, GA, Lodging, Camping, National Forests
Part of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, this recreation area is located along the banks of Cooper Creek in the North Georgia Mountains.
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Duncan Ridge Trail Section 2
Location: Eastern Blue Ridge, Duncan Ridge, GA 60 to Slaughter Gap; Features: Scenic view, Coosa Bald Scenic Area, Blood Mountain Wilderness, Georgia's most challenging trail; Distance: 20.4 miles; Difficulty Rating: Strenuous; County: Fannin and Union; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (W), Blairsville (N), Dahlonega (S) ; Maps: Wilscot, Mulky Gap, Coosa Bald and Neels Gap Quads (GA); one-page Forest Service map; Blazes: Blue; Water Sources: Marked sources occur at regular intervals, usually in the gaps; Ranger District: Ga 60 to Mulky Gap Road: Toccoa; Mulky Gap Road to Slaughter Gap: Brasstown
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East Cowpen Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Cohutta Mountains, Cohutta Wilderness; Features: Wilderness, highest ridge in Georgia's portion of the wilderness; Distance: 7.0 miles; Difficulty Rating: From Three Forks Mountain to its northern trailhead on FS 51: easy to moderate; from FS 51 to its southern trailhead at Three Forks Mountain: strenuous; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge ( E), Ellijay (S), Chatsworth (SW); Maps: Hemp Top Quad (GA-TN); Cohutta Wilderness map; Blazes: None, none needed; Water Sources: Ridge trail, only a few seasonal springs; Ranger District: Cohutta
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Flat Creek Loop Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Rich Mountains, Aska Trails Area; Features: Streams, winter views; Distance: 5.8 miles; Difficulty Rating: Easy to moderate; County: Fannin and Gilmer; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Blue Ridge Quad (GA); Aska Trails Area pamphlet available from ranger district; Blazes: Green and white circles; Water Sources: at frequent intervals; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Frank Gross Recreation Area
Blue Ridge, GA, Outdoors, National Forests
Located along the banks of Rock Creek in Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, this recreation area offers camping and trout fishing.
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Green Mountain Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Rich Mountains, Aska Trails Area; Features: Winter views, Blue Ridge Lake; Distance: (See description); Difficulty Rating: Moderate; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Blue Ridge Quad (GA); Aska Trails Area pamphlet available from Ranger District; Blazes: White; Water Sources: mile 2.4: wet spring; mile 2.5: permanent branch; mile 2.8: permanent rivulet; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Hemp Top Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Cohutta Mountains, Cohutta Wilderness; Features: Wilderness, Big Frog Mountain, winter views; Distance: 6.2 miles; Difficulty Rating: Moderate to strenuous; County: Fannin, GA and Polk, TN; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (E), Ellijay (S) ; Maps: Hemp Top Quad (GA-TN); Cohutta Wilderness map; Blazes: White; Water Sources: Mile 5.4: Double Spring Gap – a seasonal seepage spring, sometimes boar-wallowed – to either side of the gap; mile 6.2: seasonal spring 0.4 mile to the left (west) on Licklog Trail.
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Hiawassee River Tennessee
Georgia's Hiawassee River leaves the state headed north, cuts across the forested foot of a couple of North Carolina peaks, and plunges into Tennessee via the frigid Appalachian powerhouse releases as the Hiwassee River
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Jacks River
The Jacks River is a spectacularly beautiful "steep creek," which drains a high mountainous area of northern Gilmer and western Fannin Counties, and flows northeast to join the Conasauga River just north of the Tennessee boarder. Two sections totaling over 17 miles drop at an average rate of 90 feet per mile, and are runnable by advanced and expert boaters after heavy rains.
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Jacks River Falls - Fannin County
Waterfalls in Georgia. Find Jacks River Falls in Fannin County and over 100 other waterfalls in North Georgia.
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Jacks River Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Cohutta Mountains, Cohutta Wilderness; Features: Wilderness, Jacks River Falls, cascades, pools and bluffs; Distance: 16.7 miles; Difficulty Rating: From Dally Gap downstream to northwestern trailhead in Alaculsy Valley: easy to moderate; from Alaculsy Valley upstream to trailhead at Dally Gap: moderate; County: Fannin and Murray ; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (E), Ellijay (S), Chatsworth (SW); Maps: Hemp Top and Tennga Quads (GA-TN); Cohutta Wilderness map.
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Lake Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge, GA, Outdoors, Lakes
Located in Northwest Georgia, Lake Blue Ridge has boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, picnicking, lodging and other lake-related activities.
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Lake Blue Ridge Recreation Area
Blue Ridge, GA, Outdoors, Lakes, National Forests
Part of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, this recreation area centered around Lake Blue Ridge has hiking trails and lake related activities.
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Long Branch Loop Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Rich Mountains, Aska Trails Area; Features: Stream; Distance: 2.3 miles; Difficulty Rating: Easy to moderate; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Blue Ridge Quad (GA); Aska Trails Area pamphlet available from ranger district; Blazes: Green and white circles; Ranger District: Toccoa
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Long Creek Falls - Fannin County
Waterfalls in Georgia. Find Long Creek Falls in Fannin County and over 100 other waterfalls in North Georgia.
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Noontootla Falls - Fannin County
Waterfalls in Georgia. Find Noontootla Falls in Fannin County and over 100 other waterfalls in North Georgia.
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Panther Creek Trail (Cohuttas)
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Cohutta Mountains, Cohutta Wilderness; Features: Wilderness, streams, cascades, waterfall, bluff, scenic view; Distance: 3.4 miles; Difficulty Rating: From Conasauga River Trail to East Cowpen Trail: strenuous; from East Cowpen Trail to Conasauga River: moderate; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (E), Ellijay (S), Chatsworth (SW); Maps: Hemp Topo Quad (GA-TN); Cohutta Wilderness map; Blazes: Blue; Water Sources: panther Creek for much of the loser 2.0 miles; Ranger District: Cohutta
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Penitentiary Branch Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Cohutta Mountains, Cohutta Wilderness; Features: Wilderness, Jacks River; Distance: 3.6 miles; Difficulty Rating: From Hemp Top Trail to Jacks River Trail: easy to moderate; from Jacks River Trail to Hemp Top Trail: moderate; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (E), Ellijay ( S); Maps: Hemp Top Quad (GA); Cohutta Wilderness map; Blazes: White; Water Sources: Mile 3.2: Penitentiary Branch: mile 3.6: Jacks River; Ranger District: Cohutta
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Rough Ridge Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Cohutta Mountains, Cohutta Wilderness; Features: Wilderness, views of Big Frog Mountain, Jacks River; Distance: 7.0 miles; Difficulty Rating: From East Cowpen to Jacks River: moderate to strenuous; From Jacks River to East Cowpens: strenuous; County: Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge (E), Ellijay (S), Chatsworth (SW); Maps: Hemp Top Quad (GA-TN); Cohutta Wilderness map; Blazes: Blue or white; Water Sources: Mile 0.3: seasonal spring; Rough Creek and Jacks River at trail's end; Ranger District: Cohutta
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Sea Creek Falls - Fannin County
Waterfalls in Georgia. Find Sea Creek Falls in Fannin County and over 100 other waterfalls in North Georgia.
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Stanley Gap Trail
Location: Western Blue Ridge, Rich Mountains, Aska Trails Area; Features: Winter views, spring wildflowers; Distance: 4.9 miles; Difficulty Rating: Moderate; County: Gilmer and Fannin; Nearest City: Blue Ridge; Maps: Blue Ridge Quad (GA); Aska Trails Area pamphlet available from ranger district; Blazes: White; Campsites: ; Water Sources: Miles 0.0-0.8: rivulet tributaries of Flat Creek; mile 3.5: trail passes 50 feet above a seasonal spring.
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Toccoa River
The Toccoa is a purely delightful mountain stream. Its upper reaches harbor a primitive woodland paddling experience with mostly mild rapids. Unregulated by dams, the river’s flow becomes the major feeder for Blue Ridge Lake.
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South Fork Trail
Georgia Hiking Trails
From its southern end near a horse camping area, the trail winds through fields and hardwood forests along the south fork of the Jacks River. It fords the river once before ending at Forest Service Road 126A. Wildlife sightings are a common occurrence in the grassy meadows. This is a good ride for novice mountain bikers and horse riders. The Benton MacKaye hiking trail merges with this trail for a short distance.
Open to: Hiking, horses, mountain bikes
Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Nearest City: Blue Ridge
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Stanley Creek Trail
Georgia Hiking Trails
This trail connects a parking area on Stanley Creek Road to nearby Brownlow Gap at the Rich Mountain Wilderness boundary. There is a gradual ascent (200 feet) from the creek to the gap.
Open to: Hiking
Length: 0.9 mile
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Nearest City: Blue Ridge
