Georgia Walks : Discovery Hikes Through the Peach State’S Natural and Human History / Written by Ren and Helen Davis
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GeorgiaGeorgia WalWalksks GeorgiaGeorgia WalWalksks Discovery Hikes Through the Peach State’s Natural and Human History Ren and Helen Davis Published by PEACHTREE PUBLISHERS, LTD. 1700 Chattahoochee Avenue Atlanta, Georgia 30318-2112 www.peachtree-online.com Copyright © 2001 by Render S. Davis and Helen E. Davis All photos © 2001 by Render S. Davis and Helen E. Davis All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior permission of the publisher. Maps by Ortelius Design Design by Loraine M. Joyner Composition by Robin Sherman 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Davis, Ren, 1951– Georgia walks : discovery hikes through the peach state’s natural and human history / written by Ren and Helen Davis. – 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-56145-212-2 1. Georgia—Tours. 2. Georgia—History, Local. 3. Historic Sites—Georgia—Guidebooks. 4. Parks—Georgia—Guidebooks. 5. Natural History—Georgia—Guidebooks. 6. Walking—Georgia—Guidebooks. 7. Hiking—Georgia—Guidebooks. I. Davis, Helen, 1951– II. Title. F284.3 .D38 2001 917.5804’44–dc21 2001021093 CONTENTS Preface xii 3 Johns Mountain, A Time-Line of Georgia History xiv Keown Falls, and (keyed to sites listed in the guide) Pocket Recreation Area [NH] 19 Georgia Map Walk, 5 miles, with Walks Identified xvii Moderate–Strenuous Site Legend for Table of Contents Mountain and woodland trails with PH: Prehistoric Georgia scenic views of ridges and valleys. NG: Native Georgia Pocket campground was the site of a CR: Colonial and Revolutionary Civilian Conservation Corps camp Georgia (1938–42). AB: Antebellum Georgia CW: Civil War Georgia 4 Fort Mountain State Park VG: Victorian Georgia [PH, NG, NH] 24 MG: Modern Georgia Walk, 2–8.2 miles, NH: Natural History Moderate–Strenuous Abbreviations An ancient stone wall, dating back over NR: National Register of Historic Places 1500 years, is the centerpiece of this pic- NL: National Historic Landmark turesque state park high in the Cohutta Mountains. NORTHWESTERN MOUNTAINS (HUB CITY: ROME) 5 New Echota State Historic Site [NG, AB] 28 1 Cloudland Canyon Walk, 1.2 miles, Easy State Park [NH] 2 A broad, open plain near the banks of Walk, 6.5 miles, Easy–Strenuous New Town Creek was the site of the his- Rugged river canyon on the western toric last capital of the Cherokee Nation. slope of Lookout Mountain. Scenic The Cherokees’ removal to Oklahoma views, ancient geological formations, on the Trail of Tears began here. Recon- and dramatic waterfalls. structed buildings and woodland trails. v 2 Chickamauga 6 Rome Battlefield [CW] 7 [NG, AB, CW, VG, MG] 33 Walk –Run, 11 miles, Walk–Run, 3.5 miles, Moderate–Strenuous Easy –Moderate Pastoral valley between mountain Situated at the confluence of three rivers ridges. Site of one of the pivotal battles (the Oostanaula, Etowah, and Coosa) of the Civil War. and surrounded by rolling hills, Rome has been the commercial hub of north- 11 Appalachian National Scenic western Georgia for over a century. The Trail—Neels Gap to Tesnatee downtown business district and sur- Gap [PH, NH] 67 rounding neighborhoods are a treasure Walk, 6.5 miles (one-way), of Victorian architecture. Moderate–Strenuous This stretch of the National Scenic and 7 Berry College Campus Historic Trail captures the rugged flavor of [NG, AB, CW, VG, MG] 39 the unbroken footpath between Georgia Walk–Run–Bicycle, 6.3 miles, and Maine. (This is a linear hike; a second Easy–Moderate vehicle or shuttle is recommended.) Located just north of Rome, Berry College occupies a rolling and wooded, 12 Vogel State Park— 28,000-acre campus nestled in the Bear Hair Trail [PH, NH] 71 Appalachian foothills. Walk, 4 miles, Moderate–Strenuous 8 Etowah Mounds Scenic trails offer a glimpse at the State Historic Site rugged mountains that inspired native [PH, NG] 48 poet Byron Herbert Reece. Vogel is the Walk, 1 mile, Easy state’s second oldest park and several Footpaths lead to earthen mounds built facilities were constructed by the Civilian by Native Americans more than a thou- Conservation Corps in the 1930s. sand years ago. 13 Unicoi State Park— Regional Annual Events 52 Anna Ruby Falls [NH] 75 Walk, 5 miles (one-way), NORTHEASTERN MOUNTAINS Moderate–Strenuous (HUB CITY: GAINESVILLE) Majestic Anna Ruby Falls springs forth from mountains that were heavily logged a 9 Dahlonega century ago. The Smith Creek Trail winds [NG, AB, CW, VG, MG] 57 through highland ridges and cove forests Walk –Run, 2.5 miles, Easy of the Southern Appala chians, connecting Located in the foothills of the Appala - the falls area with Unicoi State Park. (This chians, Dahlonega was the site of the na- is a linear hike; we recommend a second tion’s first gold rush. Historic buildings vehicle or shuttle.) vi around the town square and the nearby campus of North Geor gia College and 14 Black Rock Mountain State University are highlights. State Park—Tennessee Rock Trail [NH] 79 10 DeSoto Falls Scenic Walk, 2.2 miles, Moderate Recreation Area [PH, NH] 64 On this meandering loop trail along the Walk, 5.4 miles, ridges of geologically diverse Black Rock Moderate–Strenuous Mountain, there is evidence of early U.S. Forest Service area features pic- 20th-century logging and forest restora- turesque waterfalls and a legend of the tion. Watch for the rock fall caused by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. last Ice Age. 15 Chattooga River Trail [NH] 82 19 Pickett’s Mill Battlefield Walk, 9.1 miles (one-way), State Historic Site [CW] 106 Strenuous Walk, 3 miles, Moderate A challenging hike along the banks of Walk the wooded hills and creek valleys the Chattooga National Wild and Scenic of what is considered by historians to be River, site for the filming of the movie the best preserved Civil War battlefield Deliverance. Watch rafters and boaters in the nation. challenge the whitewater river. (This is a linear hike; we recommend a second ve- 20 The Civil War Battlefields of hicle or shuttle.) Atlanta: Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, and Atlanta 16 Gainesville [CW, MG] 114 [MG] 86 Walk–Run–Bicycle, 4–16 miles, Walk–Run, 4.5 miles, Easy–Strenuous Easy–Moderate Take a driving/walking tour of three Gainesville is the gateway to the North battlefield sites significant in the Georgia Mountains. There are notable Atlanta Campaign. historic buildings in the downtown area and Victorian homes along Green Street. 21 McIntosh Reserve Nearby is the 19th-century campus of [PH, NG, CR, AB, NH] 125 Brenau University. Walk–Run, 7 miles, Moderate–Strenuous 17 Elachee Nature This site in the hills and flood plains along Science Center the northern banks of the Chattahoochee [NH] 94 River was a gathering place for Native Walk–Run, 4.5 miles, Americans for many centuries. The land Easy–Moderate was once owned by Creek Chief William The Elachee Nature Science Center, McIntosh, who operated a plantation and south of Gainesville, features several ferryboats here. McIntosh was assassi- miles of woodland trails. nated at the preserve in 1825 for his part in signing the Treaty of Indian Springs. Regional Annual Events 98 Today, the preserve is a public park. GREATER ATLANTA 22 Newnan [AB, CW, VG] 131 (HUB CITY: ATLANTA) Walk–Run–Bicycle, 3.5 miles, Easy vii Explore the squares and side streets of 18 Red Top Mountain a community known as the “City of State Park [NH, CW] 102 Homes” for its abundance of well pre- Walk, 9 miles, served antebellum and Victorian houses. Moderate–Strenuous This state park on the banks of Alla- toona Lake is rich in farming, mining, and Civil War history. 23 Covington and Oxford 27 Ft. Benning College [AB, CW, VG] 139 Historic District [MG] 179 Walk–Run–Bicycle, 6 miles, Walk –Run–Bicycle, 3.5 miles, Easy Easy–Moderate This historic post, named for a Confed- Enjoy the abundant antebellum and erate general, is home to the Army’s Vic torian architecture of Covington, Infantry Museum. On the post are a and the original campus of Emory number of historic buildings and mili- College, founded in 1835, in nearby tary exhibits. Oxford. 28 Providence Canyon Regional Annual Events 149 State Conservation Park [NH, AB, VG, MG] 186 Walk, 3 miles, CHATTAHOOCHEE VALLEY Moderate–Strenuous (HUB CITY: COLUMBUS) At “Georgia’s Grand Canyon,” foot trails 24 Franklin D. Roosevelt State wind through unique and colorful geo- Park—Pine Mountain Trail logical formations that are the result of [NH, MG] 153 agricultural erosion a century ago. Walk, 3.2–7.8 mile loops, Moderate–Strenuous 29 Historic Westville [AB] 191 Explore the natural beauty and history Walk, 1.5 miles, Easy of the hills so loved by President Frank - At Westville it is always 1850. This histor- lin D. Roosevelt. Hike sections of the ical re-creation of an antebellum town scenic Pine Mountain Trail and see the was crafted from authentic homes and handiwork of the “Boys of the CCC.” buildings brought from around the state. 25 Callaway Gardens [NH, MG] 161 30 Kolomoki Mounds State Walk–Run–Bicycle, 9 miles, Historic Park [PH, NG] 198 Easy–Moderate Walk, 3.3 miles, Easy–Moderate Miles of hiking and biking trails criss- Thousand-year-old Indian mounds cross this internationally renowned are the centerpiece for a state park that woodland preserve that is filled with offers an array of historical and recre- color throughout the year. ational facilities.