The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the Eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail passes through 14 states and is about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) long, though the exact length changes over time as parts are rerouted or modified. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy describes the Appalachian Trail as the longest hiking-only trail in the world. More than two million people are said to take a hike on part of the trail at least once each year.
Dawson County is a county located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,330. The county seat is Dawsonville.
Springer Mountain is a mountain located in the Chattahoochee National Forest on the border of Fannin and Gilmer counties. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia, the mountain has an elevation of about 3,782 feet (1,153 m). Springer Mountain serves as the southern terminus for the Appalachian and Benton MacKaye trails.
Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge is an 829-acre (3.35 km2) Georgia state park located between Ellijay and Dahlonega in Dawsonville, Georgia. The park's name is derived from a Cherokee language word meaning "tumbling waters". The park is home to Amicalola Falls, a 729-foot (222 m) waterfall that is the highest in Georgia. However, an analysis conducted by the World Waterfall Data base suggests that the main part of the falls is 429 ft (131 m) in height, followed by a prolonged gently sloping run in which the flow drops another 279 ft (85 m). It is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. An 8-mile (13 km) trail that winds past Amicalola Falls and leads to Springer Mountain, famous as the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, begins in the park. Amicalola Falls State Park also offers many hiking trails, a guest lodge, restaurant, cabins, a shelter for long-distance Appalachian Trail hikers, a campground, and access to the eco-friendly Len Foote Hike Inn.
Amicalola Falls is a 729-foot waterfall on Amicalola Creek in Dawson County, Georgia, United States. It the highest waterfall in Georgia and is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. The name "Amicalola" is derived from a Cherokee language term ama uqwalelvyi, meaning "tumbling waters." The falls are the centerpiece of Amicalola Falls State Park.
Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, forms the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range. The ridge runs northeast–southwest for about 50 miles (80 km) departing from South Mountain near Emmitsburg, Maryland, and running south past Leesburg, Virginia, where it disappears into the Piedmont in a series of low-lying hills near New Baltimore, Virginia. The ridge forms the eastern rampart of the Loudoun and Middletown valleys.
The Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia comprises two United States National Forests, the Oconee National Forest in eastern Georgia and the Chattahoochee National Forest located in the North Georgia Mountains. The Chattahoochee National Forest is composed of an eastern and western forest. The western forest contains Johns Mountain, Little Sand Mountain, and Taylor Ridge (Georgia). The combined total area of the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest is 866,468 acres (3,506 km2), of which the Chattahoochee National Forest comprises 750,145 acres (3,036 km2) and the Oconee National Forest comprises 116,232 acres (470 km2). The county with the largest portion of the eastern forest is Rabun County, Georgia, which has 148,684 acres (601.7 km2) within its boundaries.
Blood Mountain is the highest peak on the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail and the sixth-tallest mountain in Georgia, with an elevation of 4,458 feet (1,359 m). It is located on the border of Lumpkin County with Union County and is within the boundaries of the Chattahoochee National Forest and the Blood Mountain Wilderness. There are several waterfalls, hiking trails and other recreational areas in the vicinity.
Dick's Knob or Dicks Knob, with an elevation of 4,620 feet (1,408 m), is the third-highest peak in the State of Georgia if using a 200 ft. prominence rule. It is located in Rabun County, Georgia within the Southern Nantahala Wilderness and is the second-highest mountain in the county.
Standing Indian Mountain, elevation 5,499 feet (1,676 m), is part of the North Carolina portion of the Southern Nantahala Wilderness within the boundaries of the Nantahala National Forest. The mountain lies along the Appalachian Trail and is the highest point along the Nantahala River.
Rich Mountain, elevation 4,040 feet (1,230 m), is the highest point in the Rich Mountain Wilderness of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Gilmer County, Georgia. It is the second-highest peak in Gilmer County; only Big Bald Mountain is taller, with its summit at 4,081 feet (1,244 m).
Big Bald Mountain is the highest peak in Gilmer County, Georgia, U.S. and is in the Rich Mountain Wilderness, which is administered as a component of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail spans fourteen U.S. states during its roughly 2,200 miles (3,500 km)-long journey: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The southern end is at Springer Mountain, Georgia, and it follows the ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountains, crossing many of its highest peaks and running almost continuously through wilderness before reaching the northern end at Mount Katahdin, Maine.
Mount Oglethorpe is a mountain located in Pickens County, Georgia, United States. The southernmost peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the mountain has an elevation of 3,288 feet (1,002 m), making it the highest point in Pickens County, and the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.
Waterrock Knob is a mountain peak in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the highest peak in the Plott Balsams and is the 16th-highest mountain in the Eastern United States.
Maintop Mountain is a mountain in Nelson County, Virginia. The mountain is a peak on a spur off the main Blue Ridge Mountains, about 2 miles (3 km) east of Elk Pond Mountain, and about 3.5 miles (5.5 km) west of The Priest. The mountain is located in the George Washington National Forest.
The Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) is a network of hiking trails in the United States and Canada, reaching from Key West, Florida to Belle Isle, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Lake Winfield Scott is an 18-acre (7.3 ha) mountain lake located 10 miles (16 km) south of Blairsville, Georgia in Union County. The lake, which is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is the source of Cooper Creek. It is the centerpiece of the Forest Service's Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area, a park which features hiking, fishing, boating and other outdoor activities. At 2,854 feet (870 m) elevation it is one of Georgia's highest altitude lakes. The various habitats surrounding the lake support a wide assortment of plants and animals.
Albert Mountain is a mountain in North Carolina's Nantahala Range of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Trail goes along its summit, which is around 5,200 feet (1,600 m) high. A fire tower offers views of the Blue Ridge and the Little Tennessee River valley.
