River Falls
To continue to the falls, go northwest, crossing Beech Creek to walk the rocky path along Jacks River. The path briefly takes a steep climb along the bluff and drops down to a set of falls that feed a large pool. Less than 100 feet farther, at 4.5 miles, are the major falls where whitewater spills over vertical rock until its final leap into a wide pool (Waypoint 6). To return to the trailhead, retrace your steps upstream to cross Beech Creek and take the Beech Bottom Trail back to the trailhead.
WAYPOINTS
1. N34º 59.430' W84º 35.273'
2. N34º 58.949' W84º 34.873'
3. N34º 58.559' W84º 34.645'
4. N34º 58.147' W84º 33.935'
5. N34º 58.391' W84º 34.262'
6. N34º 58.310' W84º 34.366'
3 COHUTTA WILDERNESS: Hemp Top Trail
Distance 10.8 miles, out-and-back
Hiking Time 3–4 hours
Difficulty Easy to moderate
Elevation +1,855'/–2,395'
Trail Use Backpacking and horseback riding
Best Times Year-round (good views in winter)
Agency Chattahoochee National Forest, Conasauga Ranger District
Recommended Map National Geographic Trails Illustrated Springer and Cohutta Mountains Chattahoochee National Forest
HIGHLIGHTS Winding along the crest of Blue Ridge, much of the Hemp Top Trail is a pleasant ridge walk with a short descent to a gap at the Georgia/Tennessee border. (The name Hemp Top is derived from stories of Cherokee Indians and settlers in the area harvesting hemp to produce thread and rope.) As you walk the first 2 miles of the Hemp Top Trail, you’ll encounter fewer hikers than you would in other parts of the Cohutta, but you may spy wild turkeys or even black bears roaming the ridges. At 4.1 miles, a side trail climbs to a high spot on Hemp Top Mountain, and a small clearing on the ridge crest provides even more solitude. The trail then drops to Double Spring Gap, where this trip ends at the location of two springs.
DIRECTIONS From Atlanta, take I-75 north to I-575/GA 5. Travel north on I-575/GA Highway 5 to East Ellijay, and then continue north on GA 5/US 76 to Blue Ridge. At the intersection near Walmart and The Home Depot, turn left and travel north on GA 5 for 3.7 miles. Turn left onto Old State Route 2 and drive 10.5 miles to Watson Gap. Turn right onto Forest Service Road 22 and go 3.3 miles to the parking area for the Dally Gap and Jacks River Trailhead.
FACILITIES/TRAILHEAD There are no facilities at the trailhead for Hemp Top. Double Spring Gap is the only location with water, so be sure to bring enough for a day’s trek. Camping is allowed anywhere in this wilderness area, though this stretch of the Hemp Top Trail has few wide spots for pitching a tent. Double Spring Gap is the best bet due to the water source. Black bears frequent the ridges of the Cohutta, so hang your food at night. As an added precaution, give your itinerary to a friend or ranger, especially if you hike solo.
The hike begins on the eastern side of the wilderness at the Dally Gap parking area, where you’ll find trailheads for the Hemp Top and Jacks River Trails. From the parking area, the Hemp Top Trailhead is to the right (Waypoint 1). Pass the metal gate and ascend gradually, traveling north through second-growth forest of hemlocks, pines, and hardwoods. To the right, ferns and oaks fill ravines that run deep, and at 0.6 mile an open spot in the foliage frames a distant ridge—your first clear view to this point.
At 0.9 mile, the Benton MacKaye Trail enters on the left and shares the Hemp Top treadway to the border with Tennessee. Continue straight, and take the bend to the north, passing beds of creeping cedar. Steady and easy, the trail rises to the spine of Blue Ridge at 1.4 miles, and you can gaze down slopes to the left and right. Keep alert, as you might encounter a bear along this stretch. I scouted this section following a summer drought that depleted food resources for local animals, and bears were roaming the ridges scrounging for food. The first evidence of this was the frequent swarms of yellow jackets; spots along the trail were scarred from where bears had dug up their burrows in search of yellow jacket larvae. The surefire evidence was the bear that came cruising around my tent at 2 a.m.—a heart-pounding moment to say the least.
At 2.3 miles, you reach the junction with the Penitentiary Branch Trail (Waypoint 2). Bear right to stay on the Hemp Top Trail, which is flat and bordered by pines and oaks. Traveling this section on a summer morning, I saw sunlight breaching the ridge on my right and setting the woods to the west aglow. From here the path is covered in grass and alternates between flat sections and slight upward grades, and along the trail you can see the tattered, gray trunks of shagbark hickory.
A window to distant mountains on the Hemp Top Trail
Continuing your ascent, you climb above 3,400 feet of elevation at 3.7 miles. At 3.9 miles, a side trail to the right extends 400 feet to the summit of Hemp Top at about 3,540 feet (Waypoint 3). On top you’ll find a patch of bare ground in the shade of a tree. I paused here and found it to be a peaceful spot with high grasses all around bending in calm wind. As you look down the ridge to the northeast, there is no longer any sign of a fire tower that once stood on this perch.
When you’re ready to continue, walk back down to the Hemp Top Trail and turn right to take a moderate descent. The trail crosses a series of hills and saddles, dropping to Double Spring Gap at 5.4 miles (Waypoint 4). The gap lies on the state line and also the Tennessee Valley Divide. The spring to the west eventually joins the river system that drains into the Gulf of Mexico, while waters from the eastern spring eventually flow to the Tennessee River. From the state border, the Hemp Top Trail continues north, up Big Frog Mountain, but for this trip, Double Spring Gap is the turnaround point.
WAYPOINTS
1. N34º 56.013' W84º 31.139'
2. N34º 56.423' W84º 31.542'
3. N34º 58.277' W84º 31.232'
4. N34º 59.287' W84º 31.102'
4 COHUTTA WILDERNESS: Penitentiary Branch Trail
Distance 11.8 miles, out-and-back
Hiking Time 5 hours
Difficulty Easy to moderate
Elevation +2,270'/–2,280'
Trail Use Backpacking and horseback riding
Best Times Year-round (good views in winter)
Agency Chattahoochee National Forest, Conasauga Ranger District
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