Day Trip and Weekend Get-A-Ways to the North Georgia Mountains
Posted on Oct 13, 2009 by Whistlebury Properties
North Georgia Mountains
The Georgia mountains are just a couple short hours from Athens and the University of Georgia. During the autumn months, the trip from The Classic City makes for a great day or weekend get-a-way. Grab your friends, some hiking boots and your camera and head north!
Much of Chattahoochee National Forest covers the North Georgia Mountains. The highest point in the entire state, Brasstown Bald, is found here, along with a rich heritage of culture and folklore – the North Georgia Mountains were home to an American Indian civilization as well as the site of the first Gold Rush in the United States.
Fall Color
Fall color in Georgia starts earliest in north Georgia and moves southward across the state. The peak fall color in north Georgia can occur between the second and fourth week in October.
On the way and when you get there, you’ll find many roadside stands filled with jams & jellies, fried pies, apple, peanuts, sorghum, and pumpkins.
Hiking Trails
Throughout Northeast Georgia, you’ll find opportunities for hiking. Hiking trails are in abundance at state parks, state recreational area and state conservation areas in the north Georgia mountains.
Here is a list of resources:
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Mountains form the eastern front of the Appalachian Mountains in the Southeastern United States and cross the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Spanning 470 miles and traveling northeast through two states, the Blue Ridge Parkway is by far the most unique American parkway ever created. The Georgia portion is known as the Georgia Mountain Parkway, it begins at the end of Interstate 575, starting as as GA 515, the Appalachian Development Highway. In Ellijay U. S. Route 76 joins, which the Parkway follows to the eastern Towns County line. In between the road winds through small mountain towns into the spectacular beauty of Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, and the centerpiece of the Blue Ridge, the Chattahoochee National Forest. In fact, most of the forest is within the five counties that the parkway bisects: Pickens, Gilmer, Fannin, Union and Towns.
Helen, Georgia
Helen, Georgia is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River. Its unique atmosphere is a re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers. Helen has a rich history linked to the Cherokee Indians and Indian burial mounds as well as early settlers who arrived to mine for gold and cut virgin timber for a thriving lumber industry in the early 1900s.
From mid-September through October, Helen hosts the longest Oktoberfest in the South.
Thousands of online resources are available to help you plan a trip to the Georgia mountains. You’ll be able to find everything from cabin rentals to outdoor activities like fishing and camping to ensure you have a wonderful trip.
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