Marker at start of Trail

It follows the high eastern ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. Spring brings an impressive variety of wildflowers common throughout the mountains including bloodroot, trillium, and azalea, laurel and rhododendron in the early summer and covers much of the clear areas of the trails. Forests are mostly old growth hardwood with hickory, oak and poplar dominating.

The trail is easy to follow with white rectangular blazes marking the trail over the entire 2100 miles from Georgia to Maine. Turns are marked with double blazes and side trails and approaches use blue.

Amicalola Falls Trail

Cohutta Wilderness Area

Beginning near the calm waters and flat land at the bottom of a ridge in the Cohutta Wilderness, Mountaintown Creek trail follows the creek upstream as it meanders north. The path crosses this creek and Crenshaw Branch on a number of occasions. Most are easy even in the spring when the creek can be higher than normal.

Mountaintown was a Cherokee village along the banks of a pristine creek. It was one of the larger Upper Towns villages. The first two miles of the trail are essentially flat.

When the creek splits at the start of the third mile, the trail takes on an entirely different personality. Now it begins the ascent to Rich Knob. The trail rises constantly with only occasional level portions. At times, especially near the top, the trail is steep. The creeks that the trail parallels turn into cascades and falls near the top of the mountain.

Benton MacKaye Trail
The origin of this challenging trail, is Springer Mountain at the Appalachian Trail sign. The Benton MacKaye Trail follows a portion of the original Appalachian Trail then Loops further west, while the Appalachian Trail follows the eastern crest of the Appalachian Mountains, the Benton MacKaye follows the western crest.

Less than 90 minutes North of Atlanta...
Straight up I-75 to I-575 to Hwy. 515