Hiking & Biking in North Georgia’s Aska Trail Area
North Georgia is full of wonderful sights and sounds. Quaint mountain towns dot the landscape and offer a great variety of family vacation destinations. If you’re planning to visit or vacation in the north Georgia mountains this year, we hope you will stay at one of our riverfront rental cabins. Rosemary Lewis, frequent visitor of Rainbow Cabins, shares her unique perspective about the many activities that North Georgia has to offer.
The Aska Trail Area is a 17 mile hiking and mountain bike trail system, created in the Chattahoochee National Forest in the heart of the North Georgia Mountains. The trails vary in length and difficulty, while providing breath-taking scenery of mountain ridges, valleys and Lake Blue Ridge. They’re open year round to the public and the hiking is great any time of the year. The streams are fuller and the wildflowers are prettiest in the spring. All the trails are blessed with mountain laurel and wild rhododendrons, which bloom in June. It’s impossible to beat the beauty of fall leaves in the mountains. Winter days are generally clearest for vista views. And you’ll love cooling off in the summer by going early to hike on the heavily shaded trails.
Coming from GA Hwy 515 in Blue Ridge, turn east onto Windy Ridge Road. Go to the flashing red light and turn left onto Old Highway 76. Just past the Ace Hardware, you’ll see a cemetery and an old church. Turn onto Aska Road and go 4.4 miles to the trailhead for the Deep Gap portion. The gravel parking lot is on the right. From this point you can access the Stanley Gap Trail, the Flat Creek Loop, the Long Branch Loop and the Upper & Lower Green Mountain Trails. There are bulletin boards at the edge of the parking lot.
The Stanley Gap Trail is 5.5 miles, of moderate difficulty and is marked by a white blaze. It joins the Benton McKaye (pronounced McEye) Trail about 2.5 miles in and the two trails stay together before the Benton McKaye veers off to the left and the Stanley Gap goes to the right. Pay attention to the trail markers. The Stanley Gap ascends the south-facing slope of Rocky Mountain. My husband, John, says that it is a little strenuous due to the incline. There’s a waterfall at the far end, on the other side of the mountain, which makes it all worthwhile. The Stanley Gap Trail can also be accessed from a parking lot that is 8 miles out Aska Road. Turn right onto Stanley Creek Road opposite the Toccoa River Restaurant. Go about 4.1 miles to the parking lot on the left. This trail runs basically from this point to the Deep Gap parking lot. If you plan on walking the entire trail, just remember that it will be another 5.5 miles back to your car.
The Flat Creek Loop is another trail that starts at Deep Gap. It is 5.8 miles, is moderately difficult with 20% single track and is blazed with green & white circles. There is a campsite about halfway around the loop, by a beautiful little stream. You’ll be mostly on old logging roads, first descending to the stream, then ascending the mountain coming back.
The Upper and the Lower Green Mountain Trails are actually located across Aska Road from the parking lot. The Upper Trail is 3.5 miles, is considered strenuous, is a single track and is blazed with a white rectangle. It goes up to the summit of Green Mountain, then down to the shores of Lake Blue Ridge. There are 5 short steep ascents to the top. The terminus is on Forest Road 711. The Lower Green Mountain Trail is only 1.1 mile, is considered moderately difficult and is also blazed with a white rectangle.
The easiest, most kid-friendly trail is the Long Branch Loop. It’s 2 miles long and has a dark green with white circle blaze. To get there, go past the Deep Gap parking lot about 1 ½ miles further out Aska Road and turn left onto Shady Falls Road. Go .2 miles to a parking lot on the left. The trail actually begins at the corner of the lot and enters onto an old logging road. Within 300 yards the trail forks to make the loop. The right fork goes gradually downhill, crosses a creek and gently ascends. After about ¾ mile, there’s a Green Mountain Connector Trail that leads off to the right. It is blazed with a white background and dark green circles. It can be confusing to the novice hiker, but just pay attention. The left fork continues the Long Creek Loop. It descends to a creek branch, crosses a creek and ascends an old skid road back to the parking lot. Your kids will love it.
Camping is allowed anywhere in the national forest unless otherwise posted. Do not camp on private property or within 50 feet of a stream. Use only dead wood for a campfire and be sure it is properly extinguished. Don’t pollute or contaminate the streams. “If you pack it in, pack it out.”
As for hiking equipment—bring your favorite walking stick, or pick one up on the trail. Take some water, bug repellant, and your camera. John got some great summer hiking boots at REI and some equally great winter boots from Land’s End. Regular sneakers will work, but my husband thinks having the right footwear makes a big difference.
John is an early riser and whenever we’re in the North Georgia Mountains he goes hiking. It’s fun exploring in the solitude and beauty of the trails. They are never crowded and he feels comfortable letting Molly, our Irish setter, off leash to run around. His advice is to have fun and to realize that on the longer trails, you don’t have to walk the whole distance. Enjoy as much as you want, then turn around and go back. The Aska Trails provide the perfect setting for all your hiking desires.