It once took a lot more huffin' and puffin' and hikin' to see Lake Chatuge and the surrounding mountains from atop Bell Mountain, near Hiawassee, Georgia.
Why, just ask Jerry Hamilton.
"Whenever I was younger, you had to earn it,” says Hamilton, 62. "But now you can drive up there. And some of the pictures that you’ve seen of the lake were taken from Bell Mountain.”
Here, on a Monday evening in June, sunset-seeking spectators clamored to climb the wooden steps of the new Hal Herrin Overlook and take in the view. One lady set up a camera on a tripod at the wooden platform below an American flag; others trekked to the top and snapped selfies with cell phones.
What's unique up here: all the white rocks at the top, painted with decades of artful graffiti.
Historically, Bell Mountain's white rocks are evidence of the Hiawassee Stone Company, which blasted "The Bell" to mine quartzite during the 1960s. This short-lived venture faced several obstacles, however, and ultimately proved financially unfeasible to ship materials to the nearby railroad at Murphy, North Carolina.
So Bell Mountain grew quiet - except for the folks who wanted to make their way here in Jeeps. And they loved the challenge of driving over the mud-rutted, rocky road to the top, says Candace Lee, the president of the Towns County Chamber of Commerce.
Now, that road is paved. And the view is on parade at the Hal Herrin Overlook of the Bell County Park and Historical Site.
To get there from the Hiawassee Town Square, follow U.S. 76 east for 1.3 miles. Turn left onto Shake Rag Road, go 1.5 miles to Bell Mountain Road, then turn right and follow one mile on the narrow road to the summit.
WANT MORE? townscountyga.org/bell-mountain-park---historical-site.html