Afoot and Afield: Atlanta. MARCUS WOOLF
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Take GA 5 north 3.7 miles to signs for Old State Route 2 and Watson Gap and turn left. Go 10.5 miles to Watson Gap. To continue to Dyer Gap, turn left onto Forest Service Road 64 and go 3.3 miles to the intersection of FSR 64 and FSR 64A. There is space to park on the right near the road junction.
If you wish to use a shuttle for your hike, you can make arrangements with commercial shuttle operators or members of the Benton MacKaye Trail Association. For a list of commercial vendors or to get contact information for individual volunteers, check out “Hiker Resources” at bmta.org.
FACILITIES/TRAILHEAD There are no facilities at the trailhead. There are also no shelters along the trail, but you can camp at any of the several clearings along the way. Water is available at the many stream crossings, but be sure to treat it before using it. If you camp overnight, be sure to hang your food out of reach of bears and other animals.
From the parking near the junction of FSR 64 and FSR 64A (Waypoint 1), turn right onto FSR 64 and walk north. At 0.1 mile (Waypoint 2), turn right at a post with double white diamond blazes and enter a narrow path. The path descends gradually through hardwoods and hemlocks and enters shaded forest with mountain laurel and rhododendrons.
At the half-mile mark, the trail follows a stream, winds among moss-covered logs, and passes through a striking grove of rhododendrons with thick, twisted trunks. At 0.6 mile (Waypoint 3), the Benton MacKaye Trail joins the South Fork Trail. (If you turn left onto the South Fork Trail, it proceeds 0.2 mile to Shadow Falls.) To continue the hike from Waypoint 3, turn right to travel north and immediately cross a narrow stream. The path visits a scraggly forest that has been heavily logged and then ventures into a mature forest of towering hemlocks and thickets of rhododendrons. The South Fork River occasionally comes into view, and you can peer through the heavy foliage to see the wide water sliding through the forest.
The stream crossings continue and spots along the trail can be pretty muddy, so consider wearing waterproof footwear and maybe gaiters. The path is also used by horseback riders, but the trail is not as chewed up as you might expect.
The trail enters Rich Cove, and at 2.2 miles the Benton MacKaye Trail and South Fork Trail split at a marked junction (Waypoint 4). Bear right and ascend to the northeast, following white diamond blazes on an old logging road. The trip continues with an easy walk through hardwoods and hemlocks and then a wide path out of the creek basin. The trail becomes steep as you move through another area that has been logged, and you can see Cohutta Mountain to the west. Though you’ll encounter areas of clear-cut forest that are none too attractive, at 3.3 miles the path turns to the northeast and things shift dramatically as you enter a stand of majestic poplars.
At 3.6 miles, the trail crosses a ridge, and at 3.8 miles (Waypoint 5) bear left to leave the wide treadway and descend a narrow path, walking beneath the low boughs of hemlocks. (The path to the right at Waypoint 5 continues 300 feet to FSR 64.) The trail drops through a pleasant forest of hardwoods and then climbs to the crest of Blue Ridge. A gradual climb carries you to an elevation of 2,960 feet where you’ll stand atop an unnamed knob at 4.2 miles with slight views to the east. From this high point, the trail takes a hard left turn and moves downward quickly through fern beds shaded beneath oaks and hemlocks.
At 4.5 miles (Waypoint 6), the trail intersects FSR 64. Turn left and walk 100 feet to reach the junction of FSR 64, FSR 22, and Foster Branch Road at Watson Gap. From Waypoint 6, retrace your steps to return to Dyer Gap. (You can also walk southwest on FSR 64 to return.)
WAYPOINTS
1. N34º 52.096' W84º 30.875'
2. N34º 52.074' W84º 30.964'
3. N34º 52.255' W84º 31.172'
4. N34º 53.336' W84º 31.634'
5. N34º 53.972' W84º 30.958'
6. N34º 54.355' W84º 30.758'
7 CLOUDLAND CANYON STATE PARK: Overlook, West Rim, and Waterfalls Trails
Distance 5.4 miles, semiloop
Hiking Time 3 hours
Difficulty Moderate to strenuous
Elevation +1,545'/–1,550'
Trail Use Leashed dogs and good for kids (Waterfalls Trail)
Best Times Winter (for canyon views), spring, and fall
Agency Cloudland Canyon State Park
Recommended Map Cloudland Canyon State Park is available at the ranger station or online at gastateparks.org/info/cloudland.
HIGHLIGHTS A thousand feet deep, Cloudland Canyon is truly impressive—an immense gorge with great walls of vertical rock and a floor of lively streams and high waterfalls. Established in 1938, Cloudland Canyon State Park has long been a favorite destination in Georgia, and some trails are quite developed. The Waterfalls Trail, which descends to the floor of the canyon, is comprised of stairs and platforms that allow a wide range of people to safely access the falls, one of which plunges 100 feet into a great pool of turquoise water. (Take note that the hike back up from Falls #2 is strenuous.) Equally inspiring are the views of the canyon from the West Rim Loop Trail, which hugs the lip of the gorge. The hike described below combines the Waterfall and West Rim trails into one extensive day hike that is mostly moderate but does contain one strenuous ascent on the return trip from Falls #2.
DIRECTIONS From Atlanta, take I-75 north to Tennessee and merge onto I-24 west at Exit 2, going toward Chattanooga/Nashville. Travel 17.1 miles and take I-59 south at Exit 167. Travel on I-59 south 8.3 miles and take Exit 11 for GA 136, toward Trenton. Turn right onto GA 136 and travel east. Go 4.3 miles and turn into the Cloudland Canyon State Park entrance on the left. Travel 0.1 mile and bear right after the guard shack to go to the ranger station. Or proceed past the guard shack and go 1.3 miles to the day-use parking lot on the right. From the parking lot, facing the canyon, the trailhead is to the left of the canyon overlook.
FACILITIES/TRAILHEAD There are restrooms and soda-vending machines at the day-use area parking lot. Water is not easily accessible along the trail, so carry what you need. The day-use fee is $5. To purchase an annual Georgia State ParkPass for $50, call 770-389-7401. The park has 72 campsites for tents, trailers, and RVs ($25–$30); 30 walk-in campsites ($16–$20); 13 backcountry campsites ($6–$8 per person); and 16 cottages ($140–$170).
From the day-use parking lot, walk to the canyon overlook for an excellent view to the north, down a long stretch of the gorge. Distinct bands of rock in the limestone and shale walls denote various periods of sedimentation, and the soils here were deposited at the bottom of a sea more than 250 million years ago. After the sea subsided, two streams—Bear Creek and Daniel Creek—cut into the soil, forming two great canyons. Facing the overlook, go to the left (southwest) end of the overlook and enter the Upper Waterfall Trail (Waypoint 1). Follow yellow blazes along a wood-and-stone railing, with the canyon formed by Daniel Creek close on the right. After a tenth of a mile, the trail turns sharply to the right; take the next left down the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs (Waypoint 2), turn right to go to the waterfalls in the bottom of the canyon or turn left to continue to the West Rim Loop Trail. If you turn right for the waterfalls, you’ll descend another set of stairs and, at the bottom, turn right to go northeast. The trail runs beneath a massive, undercut rock that has a bench beneath it, and then turns left and descends more stairs. At Waypoint 3, you can turn left to go to Falls #1 or turn right to go to Falls #2. Falls #2 is the more difficult hike, so you may want to tackle it while you’re fresh. After turning right, the path becomes a long boardwalk within reach of a dripping wall of stone. Then, several flights of metal-and-wood stairs wind down, with landings along the way allowing views of the canyon.
You’ll eventually leave the stairs for an earth trail that traverses the moist creek bottom. In a forest of hemlocks, rhododendrons, and mountain laurels, the rushing waters of Daniel Creek grow louder