Hike to waterfalls, zip through trees, fish, kayak, tube and paddleboard, too – all in North Georgia’s prized mountain destination
BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA – When the temperatures soar, it’s time to head to Georgia’s Blue Ridge, about 90 minutes north of Atlanta, where cool adventure awaits. Whether it’s reeling in a big one among the trophy waters of the Toccoa and Ocoee Rivers, or shouting “wheee” as you soar through the tree tops, hold off on popping a chill pill and head to Blue Ridge, Georgia, instead for these boredom busters.
Take a hike
A hiker’s paradise, Blue Ridge offers several major trail systems, including access to the Appalachian Trail which extends for more than 2,000 miles to Maine through many of the states on the Eastern Seaboard. The most popular of the waterfalls in Fannin County is Long Creek Falls, which can be seen by hiking down a short side trail from the combined Appalachian/Benton MacKaye Trail. These falls total about 50 feet in two distinct drops. A leisurely 30 minute hike to the falls is uphill on the way in, downhill on the way out.
Another awesome excursion requires rambling the Benton MacKaye south from Hwy 60 for three miles to be rewarded with sweeping views of the pristine Toccoa River flowing beneath a structure known simply as the “Swinging Bridge.” The longest suspension bridge east of the Mississippi, the passage was built by the Forest Service and the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club in the mid-1970s.
Insider tip: If just the thought of hiking three miles each way makes your feet ache, reach the scenic Toccoa and majestic bridge via a three mile tickle-your-ears (in the words of a two-year-old) bumpy ride down US Forestry Road 816, off Hwy 60. For a copy of scenic driving tours and hiking trail maps, stop by the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center or visit them online at www.BlueRidgeMountains.com.
Soar to new heights
If you prefer to get your heart pounding with two feet off the ground, Blue Ridge soars to new heights with The Blue Ridge Canopy Adventure, 706-946-1010, located at the 125-acre Hell’s Hollow Adventure Outpost. Zip to more adventure with Zipline Canopy Tours of Blue Ridge, 800-251-4800, a mountaintop canopy experience located on 165 acres of pasture adorned countryside, six miles from downtown Blue Ridge. Want a bigger high? Blue Ridge Helicopter Tours, 706-633-9311, start as low as $40 and soar guests 500 feet above Blue Ridge and the surrounding areas, including Downtown Blue Ridge, Lake Blue Ridge, the Toccoa and Ocoee River, Burra Burra Mines, Amicalola Falls and Fields of the Wood (home of the world’s largest display of the 10 Commandments).
Paddle the wave
More than 300,000 people experience waves of thrills while river rafting and kayaking the world-class rapids of the Ocoee each year from March to October. Flowing out of Lake Blue Ridge as the Toccoa River, the name changes to Ocoee at the Tennessee border. Rafting trips feature the Upper Ocoee, including the Olympic kayaking course created for the 1996 Olympic Games at the Ocoee Whitewater Center; the Middle Ocoee, a five mile stretch of Class III and IV whitewater; and a Full River Trip which includes both Upper and Middle sections. Full River and Upper River trips are available only on designated days on weekends in the summer. Due to the level of whitewater on the Ocoee, rafting trips are limited to adults and kids over 12 years of age. For a list of outfitters, click here.
For a tamer experience, gather your group for a tubing excursion down the Toccoa River. Tubing is available on the upper Toccoa in Blue Ridge above the Lake Blue Ridge Dam, and the lower Toccoa in McCaysville. There are also rafting and canoeing float trips on the Toccoa for kids over five years of age. Also ideal for beginners looking for a few rapids and picture-perfect scenery, the 13.8-mile Toccoa River Canoe Trail begins on the north bank of the river, flowing west and north toward Blue Ridge and is popular with float fishermen looking for cold-water mountain trout. Put in at the Blue Ridge Ranger District’s Deep Hole Recreation Area, a U.S. Forest Service campground off highway GA 60, south of Blue Ridge and north of Suches. Launch and parking costs $5 per vehicle. Click here for more information about kayaking opportunities and here for more information about tubing.
Pontoon or paddle board on Lake Blue Ridge
For those on the cutting edge, try the H2O trend sweeping the nation, Stand-up Paddling (SUP), which is available on Lake Blue Ridge or the Toccoa River. Contact Surf Blue Ridge, 706-889-8747, for board rentals. Or, rent a pontoon or a jet ski on beautiful Lake Blue Ridge.
Reel in a big one
“As the ‘Trout Capital of Georgia’ fly-fishing is at the very heart of the Blue Ridge outdoor scene. At the center of the historic district, Blue Ridge Fly Fishing can provide everything you’ll need for a day on the water. Right next door, Oyster Fine Bamboo Fly Rods crafts custom treasures that have attracted anglers from around the world. Only minutes from town, the waters of the Toccoa River run cold twelve months a year, providing anglers a chance to hook up with a trophy fish of a lifetime,” says Shannen Oyster, proprietor of the Oyster Inn and co-owner (with her husband) of Oyster Fine Bamboo Fly Rods and Blue Ridge Fly Fishing.
Serious trout fishermen know there is serious trout fishing in Fannin County – not only in the Toccoa, but in Rock Creek, Cooper Creek and Noontootla Creek. Nearby Noontootla Creek Farms offers two miles of guided trophy fly fishing in addition to a sporting clay course, guided and unguided quail hunts and group events facilities and lodging. Suches, Georgia’s, Reel Angling Adventures also offers guided fishing tours as does Blue Ridge’s SharperBites.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources publishes a comprehensive trout fishing guide to Georgia, available at the Welcome Center and access points to fishing in the area can also be found on printable maps and guides. But, a visitor’s best bet is tapping into the expertise of a local Fishing Guide.
If you go
Post adventure, chill out with cool beverages and good eats from the area’s best breweries and restaurants.
Try the Blue Ridge Blood, at Blue Ridge Brewery, along with other handcrafted suds – the Hiawassee Golden Ale, Sandy Bottom and Toccoa Brown. Seasonal beers are featured on a regular basis. Pair sips with upscale eats like shrimp mac and cheese and catch live music on the weekends without ever worrying about a cover charge.
At Grumpy Old Men Brewing, Blue Ridge’s premier nanobrewery, co-owners Jim McKnight and Steve Weber – fraternity brothers at Georgia Tech in the 70s, embody their business name and tout the motto, “If we don’t like it, we don’t drink it. If we don’t drink it, we don’t sell it.” Signature brews include: Aska Pale Ale and Moon over Blue Ridge Wheat Ale.
“Being a ‘grumpy old man’ was supposed to be a hobby for the both of us but is quickly turning into more than that – Chipley and I haven’t quite figured out if that is a good thing or not,” chuckles Weber, who retired from Southern Company.
“Blue Ridge and Fannin County is our adopted home,” says McKnight, a retired Cox Enterprises exec fondly called ‘Chipley’ by friends. “We didn’t even consider anywhere else even though the laws in Georgia regarding small breweries are not necessarily the easiest to negotiate. We could have gone across the border to NC and had a much more robust business plan due to their receptiveness to small breweries but we were dedicated to Blue Ridge and Fannin County. If we can create a job or two and some tax revenue for the local community and make great beer, then that defines success for us.”
Fannin Brewing Company’s motto sums up just about all you need to know: Fresh Air, Fresh Water, Fresh Beer. Started in association with the Blue Ridge Brewery, here you’ll find some of the same sought-after sips like Hiawassee Golden Ale and Toccoa Brown Ale. As a serial entrepreneur who spent 20 years working for cable channel startups before deciding to start one himself, Fannin Brewing Company’s owner, Tom, spent a good bit of time in Germany where many of his trips involved a visit to a biergarten or two, sampling a host of German beer styles. He was bitten by the craft beer bug in 2012, when he partnered with Pat Walker at the Blue Ridge Brewery, and by December, the first beer was on tap at the Brewery where the brews, crafted with fresh Blue Ridge water, have been top sellers ever since.
Sit for a spell at Serenberry Vineyards where the simple and serene pleasures of the North Georgia Mountains are waiting for you along with wine tastings and sweeping views of the vineyards. New – try Mercier Orchards’ hard cider available in the North Georgia orchard’s tasting room.
For al fresco dining, savor regionally-sourced comfort food with a twist, along with a variety of craft beers, at the new Fightingtown Tavern, complete with a deck overlooking Main Street and a constant atmosphere of music and games. Or, relax, unwind and prepare for one of Blue Ridge’s newest restaurants, Black Sheep, serving Southern comfort food in a historic residence once visited by Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone with the Wind.”
Where to stay
For camping (April-October), Morganton Point is the only developed campground on Lake Blue Ridge and offers 43 campsites, 16 of which are lakefront, and two group sites. The cost is $15 per night/per site, $25 per night/per site group sites. Each site has a ground mounted cooking grill, picnic table, lantern pole and tent pad. The picnic area has eight tables, and the covered picnic shelter is available by reservation. Morganton Point Swimming Area is a pebble beach, so be sure to bring water shoes. There is a paved boat ramp 1/4 mile west of the campground and beach. Boat trailer parking is available in the picnic area. For reservations, call 1-877-444-6777.
Year-round, rest easy at one of the upscale cabins that dot the landscape, offering time in nature and sweeping guests a million miles away from “real life” while keeping within close proximity the upscale shops, restaurants and multi-generational activities that inspire truly great vacations. Check www.BlueRidgeMountains.com for cabin rental company listings.
Fannin County Chamber of Commerce, www.BlueRidgeMountains.com, 1-800-899-MTNS.