Cohutta Wilderness - Mountain loop & Rice Camp trail

The Cohutta Wilderness is located north of Atlanta and covers 37,000 acres (both in Georgia and Tennessee). It was once owned and intensively logged by lumber companies. In the 1920’s it was bought by the U.S. government and in 1975 was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Now it's the largest National Forest Wilderness in the southeast and attracts more than 60,000 visitors each year.

This trip contains 4 trails and covers 20 miles in total (Cowpen, Rice Camp, Jacks River, and Rough Ridge). The Plan is to hike 13 miles the first day and camp close to Jacks fall.  The second day we will return our cars using the Rough Ridge trail completing the 20 miles loop. The drive to the trail head (Three Forks Parking lot) includes around 10 miles of dirt road, it's a beautiful drive and should not be any problem.

Please note this event covers a demanding route. If you have not completed a recent D5 hike/backpack or we have not been on an event previously I need to clear your fitness and backpacking experience. 

Please arrive 5 or 10 minutes early prior to car pool departure for introductions, directions, etc.. Will will leave promptly at 7:00am

Day One: 12.8 miles (1908 ft Ascent – 3739 ft Descent)

Start:  Three forks Trail Head

East Cowpen Trail: 6.7 miles

Rice Camp Trail: 3.7 Miles

Jacks river trail: 2.3 miles 

We will leave the carpool at 7:00 (Busbee Park-N-Ride). The plan is to reach the trail head parking lot (Three Forks Trailhead,) by 9:30 AM. We will start at Cowpen trail and hike 6.7 miles north all the way to the Rice Camp trail head (parking lot). We will continue east and north on the Rice trail for 3.7 miles to reach Jacks river trail. There we will turn right (east and south) and continue on the trail for 2.3(or less) to get to a camp site that looks good at Beach Bottom or Penitentiary Branch (no camping is allowed in the vicinity of Jacks River Falls). After setting up tents, we will start gathering fire wood for the evening. When we decide that we have enough we can walk to Jack’s River Falls and hang out, swim or wander around. We will return to camp for dinner and comradeship over the camp fire. Also we will decide what time to start hiking the next day.

Day two: 7.2 miles  ( 2459 ft Ascent – 640 ft Descent)

Rough Ridge Trail: 6.7 miles

Cowpen Trail: 0.5 miles 

We will go south on Rough Ridge Trail for 6.7 miles to reach Cowpen and continue south for 0.5 mile to get to the cars. We can stop for a late lunch on the way back.

Notes:

We will have river crossings, so be prepared. 

Hydration will be of utmost importance.  3 L of water is recommended.  Also, we may encounter yellow jackets so if you have a bee allergy please make sure you carry an EpiPen

Trail Map

 From Atlanta, GA: Take I-75 to I-575, and follow I-575 up into North Georgia. I-575 will become Route 515. In Elijay, take a left onto Soule Bridge, and immediately another left onto GA Route 52. In downtown Elijay, take the second exit to the right on the roundabout. Follow GA 52 for 5.2 miles until Gates Chapel Road. Turn right onto Gates Chapel Road and follow it for 5.4 miles. When pavement will end, keep right onto Wilderness Trl. Follow it for 1.5 miles, and then take a right onto Old CCC Camp Road. Follow it for 3.2 miles to the top of the mountain and USFS 64. Turn right onto USFS 64, and follow it for 4.2 miles until you will see a large parking lot on the left of the road, while the road itself sharply switchbacks to the right. This is Three Forks parking lot.