Mystery Trail Rich Mountain Wilderness 1-3-16

Oh, the Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area- what a love/hate relationship we have. Love that it's relatively close by and beautiful, hate that I can never seem to navigate it the way I intend to. Yes, I know it's a WMA and it's mostly un-managed, however I keep stabbing away at it hoping to find a magical trail that will actually take me where I want to go. All the while repeating a mantra in my head- "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" x100.

The first time we went there last fall, we attempted to hike around the southern end of the area off of Hwy 52 in Ellijay near the Cartecay River. Several websites mentioned a loop trail along the Cartecay River, which sounded heavenly because it was still really warm outside and the dogs with us, so they could swim. But we never really found said trail "along" the river so after wandering for a few miles, we gave up. We did see the river, but there didn't appear to actually be a trail along it. 

So I did some more research and found what I thought to be decently clear map/guide which clearly highlighted a trail that would hit both Rich Mountain and Big Bald Mountain (both 4000+) so off we went. I'm not going to post a link to that map because it ended up being confusing once we got there. This time we went to the northern end of the area along Rock Creek Road, near Cherry Log off of Hwy 76. 

The drive along Rock Creek Road is stunning, with several large horse pastures and a great view of the mountains.What we ended up hiking was an old gravel road that wound through the woods and crossed several small streams. Apparently it was the trail I actually wanted but from the map we had, I wasn't sure so we only hiked about 5 miles roundtrip. We also reached a water crossing that was too wide to jump and it was really cold out, so we stopped at that point.


On the map linked below, we were on the black trail that goes south between the Blue ranger station (vacant when we were there) and the Pink parking area (the Aska Trail System). At the Pink parking area, there actually is a bulletin board with the Aska Trails clearly lined out. These go north toward Blue Ridge.

Upon returning home, I was able to find a better map and compare features on it to what we hiked and now that I have that, I would definitely like to return. We will probably hike the same road again and camp overnight, as there were several secluded spots perfect for that, including one with a great fire ring already set up.

It is a very pretty area and just feels rugged. Honestly it reminds me a little bit of Austria, Germany, and Czech Republic where I have been a few times to hike and ski. I mean, seriously, the hills with the horse pastures totally look like the "The Sound of Music". And it's just kind of nice being the only people on the trail.

One other thing to note with Rich Mountain WMA is that it is predominantly a hunting area. During popular hunting seasons, I myself would probably avoid going there or taking dogs. On the days we've been there within the past few months, though, we've only seen 1-2 other people around.

Bear Creek Trail 12-12-15

• Distance- long (7 miles)
• Terrain- easy
• Location- Ellijay (Gilmer County)

(You'll notice my handy new rating system at the top)

We had a lot to do last Saturday morning (hooray emissions testing and vehicle registration renewals) so we decided to just go up to Ellijay since it's an easy drive. Bear Creek Trail is just a little ways outside of the town square and a scenic drive along a country road. The parking area is on a forest service road and it is about a two mile drive on gravel from the main road. We had no issues, but it looks like if it's been raining there are probably a lot of potholes.

We did the 7 mile loop from the main parking area. Supposedly there is another parking area at a higher elevation with a good view of the mountains but I could not find directions to that one. Beginning at the higher elevation adds a few miles as well. There is also a designated camping area with it's own parking lot before you reach the main parking area.

I would recommend starting at the trail directly behind the large map/sign in the parking area. There is a smaller sign off to the side of the parking area that reads "Bear Creek Loop" but if you start here, you will have a significant incline for about 2 miles at the very beginning of the trail. 

About a mile in, you arrive at the Gennett Poplar, which is the second oldest tree in GA (the oldest is in Thomasville, in case you wanted to know). There is a nice area to sit near the water, have a picnic etc behind the tree. There are lots of carvings on the tree, including a really cute paw print! At some point after this, there is a crossing with the Pinhoti trail.

The trail has mile markers, which is very convenient, and the scenery seems to change with each mile. The first few miles requires crossing several small streams, some of which require wading. Around mile two, you leave the streams and go up into a patch of small fir trees and continue into a more forested area. There are some decent mountain views but this is a very dense forest with little clearing.

Around mile 3-4 you come back along side the stream and then deviate away from the water again for a while. The last few miles catch up to the stream again and are steeply downhill. The trail ends along the water, across from the parking area, and you have to wade across to get back to your car. 

It was about 70 degrees out, so we took our shoes off, but the water was still pretty cold. Tennille played in the water a little bit and had fun but poor Nova fell in and was miserable. I don't think she forgave me the whole ride home!

  

I love hiking near water and enjoyed relaxing on the bank of the creek at the end of the hike. We found some very interesting rocks (didn't take any!) and I built a cairn.

I really liked the Bear Creek trail. Most of the trail was very wide and easy to maneuver, which is good because there were a lot of mountain bikers. It took us a leisurely 3 hours-ish but because much of the trail is so flat, it could probably be done much more quickly, if you're in a hurry. Not that you should be. I do not recommend hiking in a hurry. What's the point?