Tag: hiking

Each spring, people from around the country descend on Springer Mountain, one hour north of metro Atlanta, to start a very long walk. About 3,000 hikers a year attempt the Appalachian Trail—the 2,198-mile footpath from Georgia to Maine—but only a quarter complete the entire stretch, which takes an average of six months. Northbound hikers begin at Amicalola Falls State Park to reach Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. On a sunny Saturday in March, Atlanta met a few of them at the start of their journey.

I am lost in the wilderness. Not “lost” in the desperate sense. My phone still shows 5G in case I need to drop a pin, and two bars if I want to make a call. (Does this thing have a compass, too?) And I know where I am: somewhere on a wooded ridgeline in the Cherokee National Forest near Shady Valley, Tennessee, not far from the North Carolina and Virginia borders.

I had a hard time snapping a selfie because I was crying with joy. I was on the Appalachian Trail, standing next to a sign nailed to a walnut tree on the border of Georgia and North Carolina. My 78-mile northbound walk—section by section, from Springer Mountain to that tree—had taken six months.

In 1867, naturalist John Muir embarked on a 1,000-mile “botanical journey” across the South, walking from Kentucky to Florida. Five years ago, former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Dan Chapman decided to retrace his route, albeit in a car: In the century and a half since Muir’s trek, his path has been chopped up by interstates and highways—“not a lot of fun hiking terrain,” Chapman says.

"I discovered that Atlanta had all of these hidden forests and pockets of nature—over 90 hidden forests that were all a short drive from my house. I started compiling them into a book, Hiking Atlanta’s Hidden Forests: Intown and Out."

For Atlantans, some of the state’s best trails are close by. Here's how to get out there.

North Georgia is loaded with top-notch treks from beginner to expert. Here are a few picks to help guide you.

Head for the hills! Our editors found some of the best places in the North Georgia mountains to hike, swim, bike, drink wine, and more.

From easy, low-impact walks to hikes with mountain views to a dog beach, here's where you and your best furry friend can both get some exercise and fresh air.

When you feel the pull of the outdoors, don’t overlook the obvious choice: Georgia’s 63 state parks and historic sites cover incredibly diverse terrain, from North America’s largest blackwater swamp to one of the world’s great mountain ranges. Here are a few of our favorite places to explore, especially when the leaves start to turn.