4/23/2019 – Sosebee Cove & Coosa Backcountry Trail, GA

Today’s hike was on two trails in Union County, GA. The Sosebee Cove Trail is a very beautiful short trail in an old growth forest featuring one of the richest wildflower habitats in the southeastern U.S. The Coosa Backcountry Trail is nearby and is a 12.7 mile loop beginning and ending at Vogel State Park. Today we hiked an out and back hike to Wolf Creek.

HIKERS – Jenny Bell, Mike Bell, Ray Clark, Joe Collins, Bob Drake, Joe Drake, Greta Driggers, Angela Evans, Stephen Gales, Pat Gallaher, Jim Gallaher, Jenna Hensley, Ray Lovett, Beth McDonald, Jan Nethery, Bruce O’Connor, Jeanne O’Connor, Tony Presley, Vic Robson.

TRAIL INFO. – Sosebee Cove is a beautiful short trail in a botanical paradise that was last logged in 1903. It is a memorial trail to Forest Ranger Arthur Woody. Woody loved the north GA mountains and created the first wildlife management area in the South. The trail features huge trees and a wide variety of wildflowers and plants. The nearby Coosa Backcountry Trail is a 12.7 mile loop that begins and ends at Vogel State Park. Our portion today was from Burnett Gap to Wolf Creek and back.

Directions: Take highway 129 N. out of Cleveland, GA and continue past Neels Gap and Vogel State Park . Just past the entrance to Vogel State Park, turn left (west) on GA Hwy. 180 and travel 4-5 miles. Look for the Sosebee Cove sign on the right. Next, we accessed the Coosa Backcountry trail back down the road about a half mile toward Vogel State Park. The trail crosses Hwy 180 here at the start of a Forest Service Rd.

Another great day for a hike! Fair and mild with temperatures ranging from mid 60’s to 72 degrees F.

Distance hiked – 5.5 miles. Difficulty: Sosebee Cove – Easy – Coosa Backcountry – Moderately Strenuous due to elevation change.

FLOWERS IN BLOOM: Large-flowered Trillium, White Erect Trillium, Red Toadshade Trillium, Catesby’s Trillium, Star Chickweed, Showy Orchis, Blue Cohosh, Wild Geranium, Yellow Mandarin, Cut-leaved Toothwort, Broad-leaved Toothwort, Downy Yellow Violet, Sweet White Violet, Spurred Violet, Purple Violet, Halberd-leafed Violet, Umbrella Leaf, Foam Flower, Bellwort, Meadow Rue, Field Buttercup, Hooked Buttercup, Robin’s Plantain, Cinquefoil, Dwarf Crested Iris, Pink Lady Slipper, Solomon’s Seal, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Flame Azalea, Squaw Root and Wild Strawberry.

BIRDS IDENTIFIED: Carolina Wren,Chipping Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, White Breasted Nuthatch, Black & White Warbler, Oven Bird, Towhee, American Crow, Chickadee, Blue Jay, Pine Warbler and Junco.

Our first trail today

Headed down Sosebee Cove

This huge Yellow Buckeye tree is one of the largest in the Eastern U.S.A.

It takes at least five people to reach around it!

We saw quite a few of these! Many other wildflower photos at the bottom of the page.

Next, on the Coosa Backcountry, we come to a two part Waterfall and the trail passes between them.

The upper portion of the falls.

“Another Great Day for a Hike!”

Crossing the footbridge at Wolf Creek.

Wolf Creek

We rarely see Long-spurred Violets but they were plentiful near Wolf Creek.