Hiking & Backpacking
There are many hiking trails both for day hikes and backpacking trips near Dahlonega in the Chattahoochee National Forest Trails of Lumpkin County. Download the "Hiking Trails in the Dahlonega Area" guide to learn about 22 trails in the North Georgia Mountains within 32 miles of Dahlonega. Local businesses offer visitors the opportunity to experience mountain tours with your own experienced personal ranger.
Outback Guide Service
(706) 429-5385
169 Outback Dr, Dahlonega, Georgia 30533
www.outbackguideservice.com
Outback Guide Service (OGS) is your private guide service to day hiking the North Georgia Mountains. Based in Dahlonega, Ga, Outback Guide Service will work to find what you want to see and will point out things you never even thought to look for. Each tour is like having your own personal ranger to show you the mountains and their secrets that are often right out in the open but few ever notice. Your experience may include incredible vistas, gentle cascades, waterfalls, ancient forests, crystal clear mountain streams, the Appalachian Trail, hidden trails, old home sites or relics & ruins of the Dahlonega/North Georgia Gold Rush. Outback Guide Service will strive to provide quality experiences and adventures for all of our guests.
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail begins in Georgia at Springer Mountain and leaves the Peach State 79 miles later at Bly Gap. The rugged, often rocky terrain reaches a height of more than 4400 feet and never dips below 2500 feet. The high point of the trail is at Blood Mountain (4,461 ft.) while the low point is Dicks Creek Gap (2,675 ft.)
Amicalola Falls State Park
Amicalola Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River, is a popular beginning or end for AT hikers as the southern terminus of the Approach Trail that connects the park and public transportation with the AT, and is home to the Len Foote Hike Inn, Georgia’s only backcountry lodge. An Appalachian Trail display at the park Visitor’s Center includes equipment carried by Gene Espy, the second person to thru hike the AT in 1951 and a Georgia native. Hiking opportunities include the staircase trail which ascends the 729-foot waterfall.
Benton MacKaye Trail
The Benton MacKaye Trail, named for the Massachusetts forester who conceived the idea of the Appalachian Trail, begins on Springer Mountain and ends in the Smoky Mountain National Park, a distance of nearly 300 miles. The BMT intersects several other trails and affords many varying routes and loops.
