NEGH 2026 Hikes

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

Date: 02/10/2026 Name: Ladyslipper Trail North Loop Distance: 5.2 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 804 Type: Loop Notes: After two weeks of cold, icy and snowy weather, we were blessed with much sunnier and warmer weather with 45°F to 70°F temperatures. Considering reports of portions of the trail having muddy washouts on a

Date: 01/20/2026 Name: Short Line & Tallulah Gorge Suspension Bridge Trails Distance: 5.1 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 689 Type: Loop Notes: Another perfect winter day for a hike with sunny skies, little wind, and seasonal temperatures of 32F to 38F. With the exception of one very large tree blocking the trail, the

Date: 01/13/2026 Name: Black Rock Lake & James Edmonds (Lookoff Mtn) Trails Distance: 4.8 Difficulty: Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 1,043 Type: Loop Notes: We had ideal hiking conditions today for mid-winter with sunny and clear skies and cool 35°F to 55°F temperatures. With the exception of one blowdown blocking an early section of the West

Date: 01/06/2026 Name: Thompson River via Foothills Trail from Bad Creek Reservoir Distance: 7.6 Difficulty: Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 1,358 Type: Out & Back Notes: What a great way to start off a new year . . . great weather (sunny and mild temperatures at 49 to 63 degrees, great trail, two beautiful scenic rivers,