NEGH 2026 Hikes

Date: 04/07/2026 Name: Benton MacKaye Trail from GA Hwy 60 to the Toccoa River Swinging Bridge Distance: 7.7 Difficulty: Easy Total Climbing Elevation: 1.696 Type: Out & Back Notes: Another great hike day with sunny skies and temperatures in the 50's and 60's. This section of the Benton MacKaye Trail was in great shape with […]

Date: 03/31/2026 Name: Unicoi Gap via AT to Indian Grave Gap then to Andrews Cove Distance: 4.9 Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Total Climbing Elevation: 1,089 Type: Loop Notes: It was a mild and cloudy day for our hike with temperatures in the 60's. The AT was in great shape with no blowdowns due to the

Date: 03/24/2026 Name: Foothills/Chattooga River Trails Pigpen & Licklog Falls and Beyond Distance: 8.3 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 991 Type: Out & Back Notes: Another "just-right" day for a hike with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 40's to 50's. The trails were in very good condition showing recent clearing of

Date: 03/10/2026 Name: Victoria Bryant State Park Trails Distance: 6.1 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 696 Type: Loop Notes: It's still winter, but it felt like summer with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's to 70's. This a very nice state park with very good facilities, varied terrain and environments, and well-blazed

Date: 03/03/2026 Name: Panther Creek Trail Distance: 5.4 Difficulty: Difficult Total Climbing Elevation: 623 Type: Out & Back Notes: It was a good day for a hike with 45F to 55F temperatures and cloudy skies, but we did not complete our hike to the Upper Panther Creek Falls. The new access trail we took was

Date: 02/27/2026 Name: Tabor Falls & Nearby Features Distance: 6.5 Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Total Climbing Elevation: 883 Type: Loop Notes: This exploratory hike around Tabor Falls aimed to confirm routes and locate key scenic features. Recent rains left trails and roads muddy. Starting at the end of Sellers Dr. (FS 89A gate), we followed

Date: 02/24/2026 Name: Sawnee Mountain Preserve Trails Distance: 7.0 Difficulty: Easy Total Climbing Elevation: 1,037 Type: Loop Notes: While it was cool, we had a sunny hike with 32 to 45°F temperatures. With a suggestion by Sue Vaughn, we added on to our planned hike on the Hilltop, Mountainside & Ridgeline Loop with a short

Date: 02/17/2026 Name: Blue Ridge Gap to Bly Gap on the Appalachian Trail Distance: 6.9 Difficulty: Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 1,316 Type: Out-and-Back Notes: Another "great day for a hike" with perfect weather, sunny, 40-62 °F, and a trail in very good condition. The trail is an mostly gentle, 3.4-mile climb up to Bly Gap

Date: 02/07/2026 Name: Tabor Falls via Georgia Mountain Orchard Road Distance: 2.2 Difficulty: Easy Total Climbing Elevation: 390 Type: Out & Back Notes: This was an exploratory hike to find the alternate trail to Tabor Falls that was noted in the Georgia Waterfalls Index. It's an old, unmarked roadbed off of Georgia Mountain Orchard Rd