Georgia Trails

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From paddling and hiking to history and mystery, here's everything you need to know about the 'Hooch.

The total eclipse will only be visible in a tiny corner of Georgia, where small towns are gearing up for 40,000 visitors.

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Nearby national parks, beaches, bike friendliness, good weather, and low median home prices make Atlanta a hot (and inexpensive) spot for outdoor lovers.

The firm Bennett Thrasher has organized a series of summer hikes for employees covering 79 trail miles.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

The interactive study looks at the spread of the fungal disease that has killed more than 6 million bats in North America.

Technicians wrap up a monitoring session Little St. Simons and Ossabaw Islands.

Float Daze paddling crew yanks everything from soda cans to mattresses from the water.

Foul play is not suspected in the death of the 54-year-old Kentucky man.

Wallethub's list considers recreational facilities, park lands, and weather.

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Bernie and Joe Goode hiked from Delaware to California on the American Discovery Trail.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

The Outdoors Club will hold weekly group hikes in local parks.

Meet the woman behind the definitive website on outdoorsy felines, adventurecats.org.

Summer is high season for these bloodsuckers.

A 38-year-old woman slipped on rocks while walking over a park waterfall.

The writer, actor, and B&B owner dishes on his favorite trails—and the best place in town to refuel after hiking them.

Paddle through a blackwater swamp and see A-list wildlife in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. BY KATHY KYLE

Island Loop, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Dip into Georgias’ Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest after hiking along babbling creeks, and silent oak trees, find your paradise in a swimming hole.

This 5.6-mile loop climbs the woody spine of Dick's Ridge, then meanders along a twisting mountain stream in a hilly section of Chattahoochee National Forest.

Discover solitude again on this quiet, mostly forested 6.4-mile trek up a wrinkled Appalachian mountain to a delightful babbling brook. Bring tree ID book.

Walk 6.8 miles out and back on a rocky singletrack path into an intimate ravine streaming with cold, blue mountain waters. The hike ends at a quiet Appalachian high point.

This strenuous 11.3-mile loop offers a bit of everything--rugged summits, challenging trails, dense woodlands, mountain streams, remote campsites, and heaps of solitude.

Amble 5.2 miles on this easy out-and-back along an ancient weathered ridgeline with views of the broad valley below and the Tennesee border in the distance.

Traverse a dramatic high ridge via 5 miles of the Appalachian Trail, ending at thru-hiker hangout Walasi-Yi Center.

This moderate 7.9-mile loop descends into lush tunnels of rhododendron, then rises to lofty views of endless forest in Fort Mountain State Park.

Camp near an idyllic mountain stream on this 11-mile out-and-back into a deep, remote gorge scoured by small waterfalls in Georgia's Cohutta Wilderness.

First, check out the petroglyphs; then climb 2,500 feet to the state high point on this popular 11.6-mile out-and-back in Chattahoochee National Forest.

Waterfalls, lush forests, and magnificent creekside views make this 5-mile out-and-back through Cliff Falls Wilderness a superb dayhike in northern Georgia.

This easy 4-mile loop plunges you into a deep canyon to view high waterfalls, then skirts up the canyon rim, passing impressive overlooks in Cloudland Canyon State Park.

This lovely 5.4-mile loop shaded by oaks, pines, and birches leads to the rushing headwaters of Flat Creek in Chattahoochee National Forest.

Stand on top of the Peach State on this 13-mile out-and-back under mixed second-growth forest to the bare high point of Brasstown Bald.

Visit Georgia's Little Grand Canyon on this 6.7-mile loop to backcountry shelters and geologic wonders in Providence Canyon State Park.

This moderate 6.5-mile loop climbs through an open oak forest, reaches nearly 3,000 feet, and pays off with expansive views of distant ridgelines.

Nestled in a quiet corner of the Cohutta Wilderness, this 10.2-mile out-and-back features giant hardwood stands, waterfalls, and a remote mountain campsite.

Sample two long paths on a 5.8-mile figure-8 loop through hemlock groves and along churning creeks to an AT shelter in Chattahoochee National Forest.

Go ahead, kids: Skip over creeks. Play in the mud. Catch bugs. This easy hike crams lots of wild fun into 3.4 miles.

Look for bears, wild turkeys, Native American artifacts, and herbs on this shady loop off the tourist trail.

Walk 8.2 miles through blooming rhododendron patches and towering hemlock stands to a double-spouted waterfall in Chattahoochee National Forest.

Link sandy hills with cypress swamps on this 3.7-mile tour of Little Ocmulgee State Park. Keep an eye out for gators and tortoises.

Discover meadows rich in Civil War history and climb two peaks with views of Atlanta on this 10.4-mile loop.

Count five waterfalls--including one of Georgia's most scenic--on this 10.8-miler in Chattahoochee National Forest. Go midweek for more solitude.

Here are just four of the many reasons to walk this 7.6-mile route in northern Georgia: wildflowers, mountain streams, waterfalls, and lots of wildlife.

Dotted with place names like Crooked Dog Gap and Rough Creek, this 15.5-mile route mixes rugged ridgeline climbs and quiet riverside campsites.

Wooded lakeshores. Civil War hotspots. A giant granite mountain. This 7.4-mile hike tops out with peerless views of rolling green Piedmont from the summit of an open dome east of Atlanta.

Head to the dark hills of Black Rock Mountain State Park for a 6.3-mile loop along soothing mountain streams to lookouts with classic Appalachian views.

You won't find gold on this 3.5-mile loop, but the hilly hemlock forests, the singing swans, and the sunbathing turtles at Bull Sluice Lake are priceless.

Trail run or hike on this 3.8-mile woodland loop past granite outcrops and small cascades to the floodplain of the Ocmulgee River.

Walk in the historic footsteps of Union and Confederate troops on a 3.4-mile hike through one of the Civil War's bloodiest battlefields.

This 3-mile loop outside Atlanta traces a steep ravine as it winds through an oak and poplar forest.

This 9-miler follows an old logging path through hemlock forest en route to Jacks River Falls, the crown jewel of the Cohutta Wilderness.

This 16.3-mile shuttle hike splashes through the Jacks River region (read: 40-plus creek crossings) in the Cohutta Wilderness Area.

Sampling a trail network within Atlanta's city limits, this 3.8-mile loop strolls past trout fishing spots into a hardwood forest with floral hotspots in Chattahooche National Recreational Area.

A favorite urban escape from Atlanta, Sope Creek offers a wooded playground for hikers, trail-runners, and photo-buffs.

Just 20 minutes from downtown Atlanta, the trails at West Palisades offer hikers, trail runners, and trout fisherman an urban escape along the Chattahoochee River.

Test yourself with a thigh-busting 12.7-mile hike to Coosa Bald and back.

Waterfalls, lush forests, and magnificent creekside views make this 5-mile out-and-back through Cliff Falls Wilderness a superb dayhike in northern Georgia.

Only 20 miles north of Atlanta, Sawnee Mountain Preserve offers a maze of wooded trails that wander past abandoned gold mines to overlooks of Blue Ridge peaks.

Explore sunken islands and a quiet nature trail on this family-friendly, 4.8-mile paddle-hike along the shores of Chattahoochee River Reservoir.

This 5.5-mile loop in Chattahoochee National Forest follows a leg of the Appalachian Trail and provides long views across the Blue Ridge peaks.

A classic Appalachian ridge hike, this 11-mile shuttle tackles numerous knobs and summits under heavy canopy with occasional Blue Ridge views.

On the edge of Chattahoochee National Forest, this 13.4-mile loop treks up several Blue Ridge peaks and meanders through north Georgia wildflowers and hardwood forest.

Wind through a remote forest of white pine and hemlock, passing cascading creeks and an idyllic fishing spot on this 11.6-mile section of the Benton MacKaye Trail.

Sharing the same tread as the Duncan Ridge Trail to Rhodes Mountain, this 6.1-mile section of the Benton MacKaye Trail passes intermittent overlooks on a short-but-challenging ridgeline trek.

Tour a southern Civil War battleground on this 15.8-miler that offers Atlanta dayhikers multiple opportunities to experience their own journey through time.

One of the most remote stretches of the Benton MacKaye Trail, this 5.1-mile section hike climbs gently through hardwood forest, rewarding with two far-off overlooks.

Scale switchbacks to scope spectacular views of Cloudland Canyon from the West Rim Trail on this 4.6-mile dayhike near the Georgia/Tennessee/Alabama border.

Get three hikes within the metro area and a waterfall-filled trip in north Georgia hills in this Atlanta dayhike bundle.

Sample part of the 300-mile long Benton MacKaye Trail with this PRO Bundle of section hikes and travel through some of the most-accessible backcountry in Georgia.

This 10-miler to a 4,430-foot summit is great for dayhikes, especially in the non-green season (after the leaves fall). There are several campsites along the way if you want to overnight.