Cartersville- Cooper's Furnace and Pine Mountain

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May had me in several different places, among them being Cartersville. Although I lived in neighboring Cherokee County, obviously, I never spent much time in Cartersville. I've never even been to the Etowah Indian Mounds or the science museum! We did camp at Red Top Mountain State Park once but the weather was bad so we didn't really leave our campsite very much. Although the weather was dicey during my recent stay in Cartersville, I decided to venture out as much as I could after work. 

Cartersville is an industrial town and this is evident in nearby recreation areas. Allatoona Lake is yet another man-made lake with a sunken town beneath it and the views from nearby mountains contain lots of factories and smoke stacks. A lot of the recreation areas pretty much border neighboring factories. After doing some research online, I decided to visit Cooper's Furnace on my first day after work.

As the name indicates, there is a very large, ominous looking brick furnace right of the parking lot. The trail begins near the furnace. The Cooper's Furnace trail is fairly easy with only a few inclines. Some of it goes along a gravel service road. Points of interest include a small creek, a beaver pond (I saw a large turtle but no beavers) and some wooden viewing platforms. I imagine in winter the views might be pretty nice, but the trees have completely leafed out at this point and there was not much to see from the platforms at this time. There is also mountain laurel along the whole trail and it is my favorite woodland plant, so I enjoyed seeing so much of it. 

After finishing the trail, I snuck a peak at Allatoona Dam. I don't know if you are supposed to get as close as I did but there are no signs saying not to and I didn't go behind the fencing. The Etowah River is not very scenic at this point and honestly, smelled terrible. It just has a very industrial feel to it and I cannot imagine swimming in it. Overall, I would say Cooper's Furnace is nothing to write home about but since the trail is relatively short it is a good option for a quick walk.
Here is the ViewRanger link for Cooper's Furnace. 

Later in the week, upon the recommendation from someone I met at work, I decided to go to Pine Mountain. I've seen a lot of pictures of it on social media and it seems to be a pretty popular place. I started at the Western parking area and followed the West loop to the overlook and then back down, taking a clockwise approach. There is an "Eastern pass" as well, which connects to another loop. There is also a trail connecting to the Cooper's Furnace recreation area. I believe if you hiked both loops of the Pine Mountain trail and the connector trail to Cooper's Furnace it would be around 9 miles total. 

I have to say, the Pine Mountain trail was one of the most clearly marked, well-maintained trails I have ever been on. It was also very clean despite its popularity. The only issue I saw was some trail degradation due to people cutting off the switchbacks (they are there for a reason, folks!). But overall, it was just a really nice trail. There were also some really interesting trees along the way, in addition to a intriguing pile of rocks (not sure what this was but I stopped to take a picture). 

The climb to the David Archer overlook is a consistent, steady ascent and makes for a great work out. There are plenty of large rocks to climb/sit on at the summit of Pine Mountain, as well as a few trees to hang hammocks from. It's a larger, flatter summit and not as precarious as some other places I've been recently. The view offers a glimpse of Allatoona Lake, some neighboring mountains, and unfortunately, a very large coal-fired power plant. A lot of reviews online describe it as "breath taking" which I don't necessarily agree with (I am spoiled with the views from mountains further north) but it really was a nice hike. 

I debated visiting the Pine Log quarry area but felt it was too far away to drive, especially given I was trying to hike in between rain storms. I also looked into the Vineyard Mountain trails but there is a fee to park there and I didn't feel like going to get cash. Pine Mountain is a great option because it is free, well maintained, and provides a great workout. Here is the ViewRanger link for Pine Mountain.

I never really gave Cartersville a second glance when I lived nearby, but just a few days here has shown me there are lots of options for recreation and history. 

Dawson Forest Wildcat Creek 5-6-18

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I have been concentrating heavily on visiting areas of Dawsonville recently. Dawson County is truly underrated but that being said, it is being rapidly developed so I do anticipate more residents and visitors in the near future. Nevertheless, solitary places still exist. Namely the Wildcat Creek area of the Dawson Forest. It's right on the county line near Pickens and I don't think many people drive up that way other to Big Canoe, which is just to the south. I have been to Wildcat Creek 3 other times prior to this visit, but never actually hiked far enough down the trail to see the waterfalls. So I decided to challenge myself (and James) and at least see one of the falls. We left the dogs at home for this one, due to this distance, but overall this is a dog friendly place. 

There are a lot of trails within the Wildcat tract and multiple different ways to combine them to form loops, but if you want to see the falls, expect about a 7 mile hike no matter what. I believe what we did was the shortest method, but it was an out and back hike and some people prefer a loop. I used the ViewRanger app to develop the route I wanted to take. I am still playing around with ViewRanger and figuring out how it works, but so far I have been very pleased. Maybe I'll write a separate post in the future about ViewRanger once I use it a little more. Again, no paid posts or sponsors here. If you plan to visit Wildcat Creek, I would recommend studying maps in advance and figure which trails you would like to take. 

As I said, I've been to Wildcat Creek multiple times and I've only ever seen about 5 people TOTAL on the trail. It's very secluded. No garbage. No noise. On this particular visit, we didn't see any other people on the trail. Over 7.3 miles, no other people! It's honestly kind of weird, especially considering there is a developed campground at this property. Wildcat Creek is truly a hidden gem. The hike itself starts at the back of the campground and there are signs for the Wildcat Creek trail. The trail winds through the woods for a while, mostly near the creek, which is actually called Fall Creek. There are several good spots for swimming and we've brought the dogs here before, but be aware there are lots of snakes (I've seen more snakes than people here). 

Eventually the Wildcat Creek trail hits a bridge and the trail to the waterfall continues to the right, going uphill. If you cross the bridge, you connect to some other trails that move away from the water. I've done this route before in the past. Eventually the Wildcat Creek trail connects with the Fall Creek trail and continues on toward the waterfalls. During this section, there is a rocky ledge with a very small waterfall spilling over the top you must cross. It can be wet/muddy but is not difficult. After that, there is also a water crossing but ropes are strung across the creek to help guide. When we did it, the water was less than knee high and the crossing was quite easy. 

There is a waterfall off to the side of the trail after the water crossing, but you can really only see from the top down. From what I could tell, there was no way to get to the bottom of it. It was a very full, rushing waterfall and caution is needed near the top of it. It's slightly off trail, so you do have to look for it (you can hear it, though!). After this waterfall, the "main event" is not too far away. I'm honestly not sure if this is the last waterfall along the trail, but I believe it is the biggest. I've read on other sites about multiple waterfalls in this area but this one shows up on the map as the "Fall Creek Waterfall" so I assume it is the most notable. 

I'm not really sure the waterfall really even has a name but it sure is pretty. Be aware when searching "Fall Creek waterfall", there are waterfalls with similar names in Tennessee and other parts of Georgia. It's a classic cascade style waterfall and is about 60 feet in height (I would guess). Since we were the only people there, we really enjoyed taking it all in and appreciating the beauty of the falls. It was also a beautiful day with blue skies overhead and perfect temperatures. We saw lots of mountain laurel and other wildflowers along the way, as well as a little snake. 

The hike took us about 4 hours total, after which I wanted to visit nearby Fainting Goat Vineyards, but James could only focus on getting Mexican food. Well deserved after our 7.3 mile hike. I would like to return and camp at Wildcat Creek and then explore more of the trails. Here is the actual track of our hike from ViewRanger.

Be aware this is not a free site, but possessing a hunting/fishing license or other lands pass is sufficient. I keep 2 copies of mine- one in my wallet and the other on the dash of the car. The entrance road to the parking area is also unpaved however I have done it in a sedan and had no issue. Just be aware of the potential conditions after heavy rains. 

Panther Creek 2-26-17

• Distance: 7 miles
• Terrain: moderate
• Location: Clarkesville (Habersham County)

We finally did a hike I've been wanting to do for several years. We actually live relatively close to Panther Creek now. It only took about 1 hour, 10 mins to get there (with a stop at a super sketchy gas station). The weather was really nice, so there were quite a few people along the trail, but not nearly as many as in summer time, I would think. It's a cool 7 miles roundtrip and we definitely felt it afterward. It's a pretty moderate, meandering hike for the most part but there are definitely a few steep spots and the trail is very rooty. I would recommend shoes with good ankle support. At the bottom of the falls there is a nice beachy area with plenty of space to sit and relax or have a picnic. The dogs swam a little and enjoyed running around on the beach. There are lots of other resting spots along the trail as well. The rock formations are quite impressive with boulders as large as the ones along the Chattahoochee. The forest was beginning to show some blooms and the rhododendrons were about to pop open. I can't wait until later in spring when all the flowers will be blooming. The only damper on this hike was unfortunately several bad examples of NOT leaving a trace. There was a smoldering fire pit near the waterfall (hello, we are still under Level 2 drought conditions) and waste I would prefer not to write about. I fail to understand why people who enjoy nature enough to go on a 7 mile hike literally think their sh*t doesn't stink. We also saw an abandoned armchair. Again, whyyy??? I don't go into nature so I can be reminded how much I hate humanity.

Mount Yonah 1-17-16

• Distance- short
• Terrain- moderately difficult
• Location- Cleveland (White County)

Last Sunday was a stunningly beautiful sunny day so we chose a iconic NEGA (Northeast Georgia) mountain for our hike. Strangely enough most days we hike, it is cloudy and we rarely get a clear blue sky as a back drop. 

Mount Yonah is a very popular mountain. In fact, I might even call it a "party" mountain. There were definitely more people there than we have ever seen on other hikes. So if you are looking for solitude and peace, this is not your mountain. We encountered several large groups of teenagers and very young adults along the way who were quite noisy. Yes, I'm an old curmudgeon who prefers silence while I hike.

Mount Yonah is also a training area for the Army Ranger School and there are certain times of the year the general public should not visit. Reference this handy, grammatically questionable sign for further information. 

Mount Yonah is a very rocky mountain and large stretches of trail are covered with boulders. It makes for an interesting hike, especially with dogs since mine think they are mountain goats and like to just bound over the rocks.

The trail is one of the more difficult ones we've experienced due to some steep inclines and the rocky path. It is also mentally challenging because you can see the summit of the mountain throughout the whole hike and it just looks so far away.It's really not a long hike though, at about 4.25 miles up and back. 

The summit is very rocky and can be dangerous, so don't get too close to the edge while taking those selfies! Unfortunately people have died falling from the rocks on Mount Yonah. We also encountered ice near the summit due spring water coming out of the side of the mountain along the trail. This section also happened to be incredibly windy, so be very cautious on cold days.

There are several spots great for picnicking or camping and judging by the amount of people we saw with overnight gear, it seems Mount Yonah is very popular for camping. 

Unfortunately I did observe more trash on the mountain than other places we've been recently and also a still smoldering but unattended fire. The previous campers had put a rock over the ashes but this actually created a draft which kept the ashes smoldering. Don't worry, Ranger Cara was there to put it out!! 

Despite the gorgeous views and interesting trail up Mount Yonah, it's things like this that make me stick to less traveled wilderness areas typically. I just like being the only person on the trail (well, I'll let James come along too)

I don't understand why it's so hard for some people to follow the mantra "take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints". Like if you are interested in nature enough to go on a hike, why would you leave garbage?? Regardless, Mount Yonah was beautiful and I'm happy we got up there on a sunny day. 

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?