An interesting day trip to take would be to go two hours north from Athens to the North Georgia Mountains to a place called Brasstown Bald. Brasstown Bald is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest right outside of Blairsville. It is considered to be the highest point in Georgia and they are open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. There is a small fee of $3 charge per person for a day pass. You also have a choice of walking 0.6 miles to the tower on top of the mountain or you can take the shuttle for $3 a person. The 0.6 trail is a paved foot trail, however it is a very steep walk.
Brasstown Bald is 4,784 feet above sea level and the mountain view is spectacular. When you reach the tower there is an observation deck, visitor center, small museum and artifacts to see. They say on a clear day you are able to see the skyline of Atlanta.
This mountain is known by the Cherokee people as Enotah which is the name for the former Cherokee village of Brasstown, Georgia. The legend that is told speaks of many years ago when the land was flooded it killed almost every person who lived there. The few people that did survive built a canoe that was similar to Noah's Art. It is said that when the canoe finally stopped it landed on top of Brasstown Bald and the Great Spirit killed off all of the vegetation to make room for crops to be grown to take care of the people while the water dried up.
The Chattahoochee National Forest is well known for the 2,178 mile hiking trail call the Appalachian Trail. There is also trout streams and many different hiking trails that are considered to be the hikers paradise. There are four at Brasstown, the 0.6 hiking trail to the tower, Jack's Knob which gives you access to the Appalachian Trail, Arkaquah Trail and the Wagon Train Trails.
Since the elevation is so high, it gets pretty chilly at the top of the tower so you may want to bring a light jacket with you. Also if you are going there to do some photography often it will seem as if the mountains are hidden within the clouds. Just be patient and soon the clouds will move and you will be able to capture some spectacular mountain shots. Brasstown Bald is a day trip you will never forget and one you will want to revisit again.
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