One of the advantages to hiking in the winter in North Georgia is that you can see so much more of the landscape than you can when the leaves are covering the trees. A great place to really get out is the Cohutta Wilderness in North Georgia. There is a “loop” of roads that goes through the forest – but much of the 36,977 acres are not accessible by car.

You can find information about the hiking trails in various books and websites, including Tim Homan’s excellent Hiking Trails of the Cohutta and Big Frog Wildernesses (2007.) While the majority of the Cohutta Wilderness is in Georgia, a little of it stretches into Tennessee. The Big Frog Wilderness is mostly in Tennessee, with a little of it in Georgia. There are 65 miles of hiking trails in the Cohutta Wilderness, which contains both the Conasauga and Jack’s rivers. There are 35 miles of trails in Big Frog.  The Cohutta area was logged fiercely up until the 1920s when it was bought by the Federal government and it came under protection. It took almost 50 more years to become part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, which occurred when Congress passed legislation in 1975.

It is rare to find a place with almost 100 years of wild growth – you’ll be amazed at the size of the trees.  This part of North Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina has the most wilderness in the Eastern United States. By the way, a two-hour drive through some of this beautiful area will take you to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Robbinsville, North Carolina, which managed to miss the logging boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is 3,800 acres of virgin timber.  Some of these trees are 400 years old. (The drive there takes you partially along the Cherohala Scenic Byway and through the 11 miles of the Dragon’s Tale – so named for its twists and turns.)

Take advantage of this gorgeous weather we’re having and see a little wilderness.