Fort Mountain: Hiking the Stone Wall, Tower & Overlook Trails

After going to Amicalola Falls the last time, I decided to go to North Georgia again to see what else nature has to offer.
I particularly remember seeing a sign for Fort Mountain on Hwy 52 on our way to Amicalola, so that's where we decided
to go to next! It was slightly further than I thought it would be, but it was worth the drive. 

Fort Mountain is part of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Murray County near Ellijay, Georgia.  Fort Mountain Park offers many activities suited to different preferences, specifically hiking trails, mountain biking, horseback riding, and many campsites. Featuring over 14 miles of trails within the park, we chose to hike a shorter one by combining three trails while still being able to see the scenic aspects of it.

From the parking lot, we followed the trail through the forest to get to get directly to the overlook.
The trail was not too difficult while it still provided this beautiful panoramic view of the mountains and fall's beautiful colors. 

Our hike was relatively short this time around, being just about 2 miles. We wanted to take an easier hike in order to

fully enjoy the scenery and relax before it becomes hectic with group projects, finals and graduation around the corner.
Although it was a shorter hike, it was still a refreshing sense to come to Fort Mountain this week.

Raven Cliff Falls

The Raven Cliff Falls trail is located on the Chattahoochee National Forest near Helen, Georgia. Being only about an hour and a half from Atlanta, Raven Cliff Falls is worthy of the moderate-long drive. It is a popular destination for hikers, being that we went during the week and there were more hikers than I anticipated. It is also a popular camping site for many. Throughout our hike, we noticed quite a few signs warning visitors to be aware of black bears by not having food out and staying away from them. There are other scenic trails near Helen including High Shoals Falls, Tray Mountain, Byron Reece Trail, Duke Creek Falls, among others.

Raven Cliff Falls is a 5 mile scenic trail following the Dodd Creek upstream in a shady and mossy forest leading to the beautiful waterfall within a 400 feet sliced rock outcrop.The trail begins near Dodd and Bear Den Creek, it is hard to miss with all of the signs leading the way. One of my favorite things about the trail was the fact that it truly is scenic throughout, from small cascades to an overlook and of course the waterfall within the cliff!

The inclined hike was moderately difficult for me being 5 miles going up for the majority of it, but the inside view of the waterfall was well worth the at times strenuous parts of the hike. 

Beautiful overlook, isn't nature just beautiful? 

I absolutely loved Raven Cliff Falls and intend on coming back to North Georgia to explore the other scenic trails it has to offer!

Amicalola Falls

Amicalola Falls Trail is in Dawsonville, GA and is part of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Amicalola is actually what motivated me to start hiking and exploring Georgia's nature while at it. I had seen quite a few of my friends' posts on Facebook and Instagram and I couldn't believe Georgia had such beautiful waterfalls! I've been itching to come to Amicalola for months, but decided to wait until the leaves changed colors in order to enjoy the beautiful fall scenery. 


The trail itself is only sightly over 2 miles, but due to the steep climb to reach the top of the waterfall, it feels a lot more difficult than I anticipated.  The gravel incline felt a lot more than one mile since it was 725 feet in elevation from the trail-head! When we reached a parking lot at the top, we felt alleviated because we could now hear the rushing waterfall nearby, so we knew we were close! 

Past the parking lot, we found a bridge that was over the crest of the waterfall and featured this beautiful view of the mountains covered in fall's beautiful colors. 

Immediately after the wooden bridge, we found many sets of wooden stairs that go along the waterfall.

Although the sets of stairs were moderately difficult, having the beautiful scenery and being able to hear the waterfall so close made it more enjoyable! 

Amicalola was just as beautiful as I anticipated, maybe more! And I was not the only one admiring its' beautiful scenery, there were some photographers there taking pictures. There was even a bride and groom taking pictures by the waterfall! I absolutely loved it and will definitely be coming back to Amicalola and the parks nearby that I noticed on our way to Amicalola Falls. 

East Palisades Trail

Up close and personal with nature, confusion, and scenic views. 

The East Palisades trail is part of the Palisades segment of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The 3.8 mile hike features high elevation overlooks, mill ruins, and an interesting bamboo forest (what drew me in to go on this hike!). It truly is a nature-filled, scenic hike without venturing out too far from Atlanta. After immersing into the beauty that the Chattahoochee offers, you can actually forget that you are so close to the city! I became so immersed with my hike that I only remembered the city when I reached one of the overlooks and I saw some tall buildings from there. East Palisades is perfect in that it can be a moderately difficult hike, offering some scenic views and so close to 285 and I-75. 

 And the confusion begins 

The East Palisades' trail-head begins at the end of the Indian Trail NW street. I initially passed the Indian Trail NW street from NorthsideDr. since it just seems like a high-end neighborhood. There was no sign indicating the East Palisades Trail-head ahead.

After driving for about a quarter of a mile, there was no longer a paved road, but rather a rocky road. Soon after, we found a small sign of the park. The unpaved road is narrow, only accommodating one car at a time. And when I saw some people running, I questioned whether I was even allowed to go there. My worries dwindled when I finally found other cars parked at the end of the road. Yay!!! 

Hello National Geographic in real life! 

Literally upon arriving to the trail, a hiker excitedly informed us of a snake on the trail. We were about 15 feet away from her, had just arrived after being confused for 10 minutes and a stranger is talking about a snake? I looked at my 16 year old brother, waiting for his head nod to the car but instead he starts darting towards her! I give my brother a "are you crazy?!" look, but it's too late since he's already by her side.                                        
                                                                                                        I asked the lady where it was as I walked slowly, dreadfully near her. My brother reaches her and then amazed tells me "Hurry Liz! The snake is eating the frog!" as he takes out his phone and takes a picture of it. I'll admit that at first, I refused to get within 5 feet of the snake. But when I saw that it wasn't moving since it knew it had an audience, I felt slightly at ease. I, like most of the population, am afraid of snakes! But according to the other hiker, the snake is not venomous and was too "busy" to even bother with humans. Phew!    

Chattahoochee River 

After passing the snake's lunch break, we officially began our hike! I don't like being in the sun much since I get hot easily and then frustrated (my brother says I'm like our husky-german shepherd dog!). So I loved the fact that probably about 90% of the hike was in the shade! After hiking in the forest for what seemed like 15 minutes, we suddenly heard the rushing water of the Chattahoochee River.

Higher elevation to finally reach the Bamboo Forest!

After passing the Chattahoochee River, we continued our hike in search of the Bamboo Forest. Parts of the trail were steep and narrow. My brother likes to lead the way, so in parts where it was narrow, he was the leader. Every so often, my 10 year old sister would ask if we were close to the Bamboo Forest. We told her that she could see the pandas there, she didn't believe us at first, but my brother's poker face convinced her. My sister is a huge animal advocate so she was anxious to reach the bamboo forest despite the fact that she was tired. We took breaks with her every half mile and after listening to her ask about the pandas for 20 minutes, I had to tell her we were just kidding.

I had no idea there was a Bamboo forest so close to home! I've never seen bamboo, so seeing it with my own eyes was definitely fascinating. I wanted to continue hiking the remaining .7 mile of the trail to reach the overlook. Unfortunately, I once again made the mistake of going for a hike later in the evening so the sun was starting to set and my sister was tired and hungry. Next time I go, I will ensure to hike the entire trail to reach the overlook!

The Amateur

Hello fellow Amateurs (or Experts), 

Welcome to my blog! I'd like to start off by telling you a little bit about myself. My name is Elizabeth, I'm a 23 year old from Georgia about to graduate from college in a few months! As the title suggests, I am an amateur-hiker-wannabe but I am okay with it because I would like to become an experienced hiker someday and be able to travel and see what this beautiful mother earth has to offer! And what better way to start than in my own hometown? I have never hiked, in fact, the closest I have gotten to hiking has been walking Toby, my Husky-German Shepherd at the park. Therefore, when I say amateur, I really mean it (for now). This is also my first ever blog, so to say I'm excited for the next chapter in my life would be an understatement! For in a few months, I will be a college graduate, blogger, and (hopefully) a hiker!

   What you can expect from my Amateur Hiker Adventures:

• Photos of the trails/interesting things I find along the way
• Details of the trails
• Lessons learned (mistakes made) 
• I have never seen waterfalls and I've heard there are some in Georgia (whaaaaaaat?) so I aim to explore some of them! 
• I have seen friends post photos from mountains and they always seem so beautiful, so I will also hike those! 
• Fall is my absolute favorite season, so (spoiler alert) I will try to capture the changes in the coming months. 

"Exploring Georgia one hike at a time"