This is a beautiful, incredible state park that is so worth the trek (driving and walking wise)…read more There are a couple different lookout spots you'll want to check out, and at the security hut they give you a map so you know where to go. All of the workers were so friendly and helpful here. The hike at the very top was perfect- about a mile or so, the scenic lookout is about halfway through so you can take a break if you need. There's a good amount of elevation to get your heartbeat going but then it calms down after awhile. At the outlook, it would be easy to sit and enjoy the few for a long time. It's stunning. You can also take a fork in the path to visit the Fort that's here (thus named Fort Mountain). There are some info signs explaining the mysterious origins of the fort and it's pretty interesting.

Fort Mountain State Park is one of few favorites places to visit, especially in the spring or in…read morethe fall. The scenery is simply picturesque. Despite the harsh cold winds of winter, we had the sun which made it bearable and our hike was splendid on the day we visited. Our first stop had to be the visitor center to get a new annual pass & patches. The attendants helped us secure the pass that best matched our needs. The visitor center has restrooms and a gift store. For my girlfriend, it's always difficult to resist the items --- t-shirts, stuffed animals, historical books, camping supplies, snacks --- they sell there. If I am not mistaken, I believe they also sell firewood and ice for those looking to camp. If you need a map of the park, it can be found here as well. We then headed to the lake to hike the trail that circles it. It's an easy trail, so it makes for a nice walk for chatting and stopping to admire the views of the lake and mountainside. The beach at the lake is relatively small, but the facilities there are nice, with boat rentals, playground, picnic tables, and putt-putt golf. Im assuming a lot of these services are seasonal because we saw no one using them. I did like that there was a ramp that led from the parking lot to the beach for visitors that may have mobility issues. We hiked several different trails, and all were well blazed. The trails that led to fire tower and the stone wall had informational signs. Unfortunately the fire tower can only be viewed from the outside. I would love to see the view from the top! But if it's views you are interested in, checkout the overlook trail! The view is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! We also did the Big Rock Nature Trail (trailhead is near the lake dam). The 3/4-mile trail led to a beautiful waterfall. We didn't touch the Gahuti Trail this time, but we plan to do it next time we come back; it's challenging but very beautiful from what I have read about the trail. I would recommend it if you have a day for a hiking adventure. Snacks and water are required. The cabins and cottages all look well maintained from the outside and are located in beautiful areas of the park. We didn't check out the campground, but it's near the lake, but Fort Mountain State Park seems to have something for everyone!

If you know me by now, all you have to say is hike and I don't care about the where, the how long…read moreor how tough. Jacks River Falls is one such hike where you may want to know the where, how long and obviously how tough. Before I talk about the hike, let's get into the road to the hike. It's a lot of gravel road....I mean a LOT of gravel road, which made me and my honda accord a bit squeamish that a tire might get popped. Something a bit more hefty like a truck or a jeep would probably serve you better on the roads, but just your Joe average sedan can navigate to the parking lot also. Once you leave the parking lot across the road from the trail entrance, I have to say it's kinda a poorly marked trail. No official blaze markers, although good samaritans spray painted a few choice areas for people up for taking on this hike. Jacks River Falls, I hate to say it, is not a pretty hike. There are no grand vistas, or post card shots. No, you really are coming here for the hike or the actual waterfall, which IS worth the hike. I went along with Richard R, and we did stumble our way through the trail, taking a wrong turn a time or two, but ultimately getting ourselves back on track. Note that if you come to a fork in the trail and you see a couple of signs, one saying "Horses prohibited beyond this point". Go in the direction of that sign...that will take you to the top of the falls. The actual falls themselves were in fact beautiful. Powerful, loud, clear water, and a size that wasn't insignificant. It's a great place to get a lot of photos, or walk right up to the falls to get the water money shots. Like I eluded to earlier, you come out at the top of the falls and have to climb your way down to get in front of the water. Sadly, what goes in must come out, and so we had to do a bit of bouldering to get ourselves back on the main trail. Yep, there was more trail going away from the falls, but with the time of day, unfamiliarity of the falls and just our energy level, we did the safe thing and went back the way we came. Jacks River falls, in addition to not being the prettiest trail, also isn't very forgiving either. Clocking in officially at 9.1 miles, I'm skeptical of that because both of my pedometers listed over 11 miles. Sure, getting lost and a few steps here and there may increase the mileage, but not by that much. I'm mentioning all of this because while my legs are usually rock solid, my left leg cramped up and there was some concern about getting out before dark. We did make it out, but we both took a breather before we got the car moving down the several miles long gravel road and back to civilization. When I left Jacks River Falls, I was all set to give it 3 stars or less. But thinking back, as well as revisiting my photos and videos helps me focus my review. If we're talking about the actual water fall only, It's easily 5 stars. Combining the trail pulls it down a star. Combining the long drive pulls it down to a 3.5....but i'm rounding it up to 4. Beautiful waterfall, great work out of a hike, and if you're a waterfall hunter, it's definitely worth your time. Check it out!

Love the waterfall, but not the hike or the drive to the trailhead…read more THE SCENE There are several trails that lead to Jack's River Falls. We chose Beech Bottom Trail because it is the driest. All trails had previously been closed due to storm damage that occurred on July 21st, 2018, but Beech Bottom recently reopened on Saturday, September 22nd. It currently is one of the only hiking trails open to the falls. Jack's River Falls is among the best looking Georgia waterfalls in both volume and drama. It is a type of chute waterfall, which is when a large volume of water goes through a very narrow passage creating a very strong and thunderous waterfall current. You can hear the deep baritone voice of this waterfall as it rushes through the rock-like funnel. The roar of the water alone is worth staying here all day! It has been on my hiking bucket list for some time now and I'm so very happy to finally check it off my list. However, the gravel road leading to the trailhead is very long and not well marked. We lost our GPS signal 25 minutes prior to reaching the parking area, causing lots of anxiety and concern for if we were driving the right direction. I highly recommend bringing a map or atlas as backup. --- BEECH BOTTOM TRAIL GUIDE I found the trail to be slightly worrisome due to the lack of traditional trail blazes, but ever so often there was a lime-green paint mark on a tree or rock. Several times we were troubled as the trail either disappeared or split, particularly when it intersects with Jack's River Trail at the river. There were no signs here indicating which direction to turn to find the waterfall, which by the way turn RIGHT. After our hike we ate lunch at a local BBQ joint where the owner said it was one of his favorite places to hike, yet he was surprised we actually found the falls on our first try. NOTE: Beech Bottom Trail was once an old road, but it hasn't been maintained since the 1970's. It is for this reason the Ranger office says it has not been marked with blazes. I requested adding a directional sign at the trail intersection near the river. Hopefully they will see the value in that and do so in the near future. Once you turn right at the river, about a half mile downstream the trail will cross a tributary flowing into the main river. It will then continue along a stone ledge as the river begins to cascade at first, then tumble and rumble over larger drops in elevation before its final plunge over the main fall. You must scramble over several large boulders to continue along the trail. We accessed the base along a steep and jagged side trail that was highly questionable in terms of safety. I doubt it was created by the park authorities because it is quite dangerous and difficult climb down. It is very steep and not at all user friendly! Not sure where there was another trail to the base, so we risked it by staying low and holding on to shrub branches on the way down (just in case we slipped). The main falls are nearly impossible to see from the top of the trail, so if you want to great picture, climbing down is your only option. Jack's River Falls was a glorious sight and it spoke with a thunderous roar. Most of the area within 100 yards of the waterfall is granite, including the riverbed. The clear waters were shallow enough to easily walk to the center for a great head-on pic of the falls. On our visit the water was no deeper than knee high. Not sure how deep the pool is in front of the falls but I'm guessing it's about 8+ feet. The hillside above the falls seemed to be noticeably devoid of trees, which made me wonder if the storm that closed the trail back in July had been a tornado. The few trees still barely standing were completely stripped of their leaves and limbs. Still, it did not take away from the absolute beauty of this magnificent waterfall. I've currently hiked over 30 trails to Georgia waterfalls and historic dam ruins. Jack's River Falls is easily one of my Top 10 favorite waterfalls in the state. OVERALL TRAIL LENGTH - 9.1 miles round trip according to Alltrails (although we calculated 12 miles) OVERALL ELEVATION GAIN - 974 feet AMOUNT OF TIME SPEND ON OUR HIKE - 4.5 hours (2h:10m there + 30 minutes at the falls + 1h:50m back). --- FINAL THOUGHTS Jack's River Falls is worth the hike no matter which trail you take, but be forewarned; If you prefer trails with pretty views or lush underbrush, Beech Bottom Trail is NOT at all scenic. The only view until you reach the river 4 miles away will be of the deeply wooded Cohutta Wilderness! More adventurous hikers that don't mind a longer, wetter hike should explore the more challenging Jack's River Trail. The shortest trail to the falls seems to be the Horseshoe Bend Trail found at the end of Old Hwy 2. ENJOY!!! TIP - Many of the other trails are still closed as of the date of this review. It would be wise to call the Conasauga Ranger District prior to your visit. The number is (706) 695-6736. 2018/57

Such a cool forest. Hiking and all kinds of nature. Deer bear geese ducks hawks. And running…read morerivers. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It's so beautiful watching the fog lift in the morning and the early morning frost melting away. And the outside cooking adds so much to the experience.

The river is beautiful, but there is no public hiking trail here. We drove here for 15 minutes only…read moreto find there was nowhere to park or hike. Private homes only.

Found in the Chattahoochee National Forest is the Cohutta Overlook. We paid this hidden in plain…read moresite overlook a visit while driving into the city of Ellijay from Fort Mountain State Park. Being a shade under 5 miles from Fort Mountain along GA-2/GA-52, i'm hesitant to say you can't miss this area because you can. Only a sign and a road going into a wooded area are all that alerts you. I'd advise you to turn on in. This lone road has parking spots along it, and loops around back out to GA-2/GA-52. Very close to the entrance of this road is a very small dirt trail, marked by a small wooden sign listed as "overlook", that goes up. Yea it can be sketchy looking, but if you head on up the trail, you'll be met with a stone circular clearing that gives you a nice view. On a clear day, it's beautiful, and while I wasn't here at night, I can only imagine that stargazing here at night must be out of this world. The actual trail is barely a quarter of a mile and is more a nature walk than any sort of a hike. There are a few wooden/stone stairs, but practically anyone can make it to the top. Very little foot traffic here, as my girlfriend and I had the place to ourselves for several minutes, which was nice. There is no physical address, but there are coordinates entered (34.785218, -84.626853). Nice little find that you probably weren't looking for. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

April 4, 2014, Tony and I was driving the back roads of Georgia on our way to Helen, GA to visit…read morethe Bavarian Village. We passed Fort Mountain State Park, which we love by the way. We visited there a few weeks back, but this time ON TO HELEN....on down the road towards Elijay, Ga I noticed a sign "COHUTTA OVERLOOK"...I said...BRAKE..side trip.. My husband is used to this..that is why I travel the back roads so I can find interesting sites, old homes and buildings and overlooks...I do this quite regularly...Glad I am the driver. I also Brake for Yard Sales...lol I drove out the side road and parked along the narrow ONE WAY road..and we started to climb up the side of the small mountain via a trail and some stairs...its a nice little HEART POUNDING hike..but once you are at the top...oh WOW !!! the View is AWESOME...STUNNING..the adjectives keep going on, on and on...You have to take the 10-15 minutes out of your schedule to check out this great vista. I loved it. I took several photos ( of course ) And AGAIN..I can't say it enough....FREE FREE FREE !!!!

To get to the parking area for this is a 40 min dirt road drive on beautiful red earth and cliffs…read moreon the side of you going up. The views are beautiful but the drive is something haha. The hike itself is straight forward and beautiful. The makeup of the rocks causes them to appear like they glitter on the trail which was magic to my kids. There is a lean to on the trail they don't suggest using due to erosion. There are two nice metal markers in the rock to denote the official start of the Appalachian trail and what a glorious view you can sit and enjoy the beginning of your life changing journey!

Beautiful views and a wonderful trail to the summit!:) Not a…read moredifficult hike- family/kid friendly. I would recommend hiking the trail earlier in the morning- seems like it gets busy later in the day....

Jessie James playground in Dalton needs its own YELP profile! Cause it is amazing!…read more Giant playground with parameter fence to keep little humans incarcerated... Er... I mean safe. Awesome slides, fancy newly built structures & older quality structures. Sprawling playground o' fun that has plenty of room even when crowded. Very similar to Warner Playground by the Zoo in Chattanooga. Very nice!

If I could give them ZERO stars I would! Came here last…read moreMonday and didn't have a swimsuit so asked if I could swim in my clothes, they said that's fine. Came back today same way and now they're saying I can't swim!? Sooooo now I have to sit in the hot sun while my friends and her children swim and that's Bs! This place is garbage!

Great place to hang out for a park on the water. We've always enjoyed Carter's Lake, so this is a…read moregood place to access it.

Online they do not incidcate they arw closed nor do they tell you that you are not allowed to drive…read morethrough to check out campsites - wont bother making reservations here.

Omg we found this place randomly and let me tell you! We absolutely loved it! We came on weds for a…read morefun mommy and son day out and we had a blast! There was only one person working when we went and the place filled up fast! But she was so sweet and helped everyone fast and efficiently. There was an incident with one of the horses but she handled it very well and didn't ruin the fun for anyone. By far one of the best petting farms I've ever been to! Will definitely be back, we missed the fresh eggs. They didn't have any available yet but it was a nice option there. They have drinks and snacks for the kids, and feed for the animals which was super cute.

Such friendly staff & they do a great job maintaining the property - kid friendly too (although…read moremaybe not stroller-friendly navigating around the farm). Animals are all very sweet - plus you may even get a dog as a tour guide! They've got a few super sweet dogs that hang out as well. Would highly recommend!