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The Chattooga River on the border of Georgia and South Carolina was declared a Wild and Scenic River in 1974. There are no roads that parallel the river within a quarter-mile as it passes through a portion of Chattahoochee National Forest. This means that the Chattooga River Trail has an almost wilderness-like setting as it runs beside the river on a moderately easy 6-mile out-and-back hike that Laurie and I did early one September morning.
Photo Above: The Chattooga River, on the Georgia/South Carolina border, earns well its Wild and Scenic Designation.
Running concurrently with the Bartram Trail, a 114-mile pathway through Georgia and North Carolina, the Chattooga River Trail headed southward from the Russell Bridge on GA 28 in Rabun County. It swung away from the stream to cross the West Fork of the Chattooga River on a metal and wooden bridge. We also quickly learned not to expect Appalachian Trail-level maintenance. However, yellow blazes made it easy to follow the route slowly winding back toward the waterway.
The gently flowing river sounds blended with those of crows, cardinals, warblers and woodpeckers as the pathway passed through a forest of towering deciduous and evergreen trees. Partridgeberry, galax and running cedar covered the forest floor.
This is not an old growth forest, but tree sizes give the impression of being decades old. That’s why we were so surprised to come across old farm machinery in an overgrowing meadow. These were not just small implements like a wheel barrow or shovel. No, these were remnants of large pieces of equipment with gears, pulleys and rubber tires. Just to the side of the trail was a fairly modern hay bailer with weeds and small trees growing through its rusting skeleton. A chimney on the other side of the trail marked where a farmhouse once stood.
Adeline Ford, which we had determined to be our turnaround point, provided the best view of the river. Wide and shallow, its clear waters flowed over multi-colored rocks and stones that have been shaped and rounded by the river’s movement.
The nice thing about doing a hike in early morning is that there is the rest of the day to explore the area by automobile. And how can you pass up a roadside attraction called Goats on the Roof! Geared toward families, it features a small playground, café and souvenir shop. The real reason to stop, of course, is the goats wandering about on a grass-covered roof and in a ground level pen. A 25-cent vending machine dispenses feed (goat chow?) into a paper cup and when Laurie offered hers to a kid goat, it wrested it out of her hand, consuming both food and cup in only a few bites!
A few miles north is 106-acre Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center, an outgrowth of the Foxfire magazines and books of the 1960s. A walking path winds along the hillside where living history demonstrators and crafters present, and help preserve, the life skills and culture from earlier days. The blacksmith and weaver relayed the history of their crafts, but it was the talented hands of broom maker Carole Morse that impressed me the most. Using wire coming from what she called a late 1700s “broom horse” to attach broom corn to a handle, she created a hearth broom in a matter of minutes.
A cabin in River Campground in nearby Lakemont was our accommodation for the night. The campground is not the resort type of place with upscale glamping or amenities, but its rustic facilities do provide direct access to trout fishing in the Tallulah River.
In addition, owner Melissa Heiden is a great ambassador for the area. Over breakfast at the Rusty Bike Restaurant, she relayed how she has come to enjoy northern Georgia: “I was apprehensive when I inherited the campground from my father. I knew nothing about the area and did not want to leave my home in Florida. Yet, I found the weather to be to my liking and the people to be so friendly—I made many new friends within the first year—that I now wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
