GA Pinhoti Trail - Snake Creek Gap to Pilchers Pond

This is a ten.five, medium difficulty, in-and-out hike with an elevation of roughly 1967 feet. It is just a little over an hour's drive up 75 from the park and ride.  The pace will be moderate - between 2.5 and 3.0 mph.

The Pinhoti Trail is a long trail that connects the base of the Appalachians in Alabama with the Benton McKaye Trail in the Cohuttas in Georgia, or at least it will if it is ever all connected up. There are long sections of it complete in Georgia. We will be hiking section 11 of that.

We start at Snake Creek Gap and ascend to the ridgeline of Horn Mountain. We walk along the ridgeline for a couple of miles. We will have some good views here. The we gradually descend down the other side of the ridge toward our destination, Pilchers Pond.

Pilchers Pond was built in 1991. Once teeming with aquatic life, the Georgia drought had taken its toll when we were there last in Feb of 09. Then the pond was little more that a dessicated mud hole, with the bass, catfish and brim long gone.  Now that the drought is well over, and all the lakes are full, will Pilchers Pond be full?  Let's hope so.

After our lunch beside the pond, we will return the way we came. A lot of this hike is level ground, and the two ascents we will make are gradual. Though much of the forest is pine, we will still have good winter views.

Get on I75-North. Go 49 miles to exit 320. Make pit stop at Flying J truck stop on the right. Go left on GA 136 out of truck stop. Go about eight miles to Pinhoti parking lot on the right. There should be a sign there.