TIME LINE
3:45 PM start, 2200' elevation
3:55 small spring (10mins)
4:54 Buzzards Roost Ridge overlook, 3640' elevation (1hr 9mins)
5:10 begin ascent from Cove Gap up to Locust Log Ridge (1hr 25mins)
5:25 begin descent from Locust Log Ridge (1hr 40mins)
5:33 rock seat at Low Gap, then ascent (1hr 48mins)
5:50 spring at rock formation on the north side of Blue Bluff (2hrs 5mins)
6:03 ridge with east view (2hrs 18mins)
6:30 rock pass through (2hrs 45mins)
6:35 slab on Chimneytop (2hrs 50 mins)
7:15PM arrive at parking area, 4,320; elevation (3hrs 30 mins)
This is one of my favorite trails in North Georgia. It may be the combination of the tough ascent up to Buzzards Roost Ridge mixed with the ancient Native American history of the Trackrock Gap petroglyphs. Also, the fact that the trail head is a mere 3 1/2 miles from my front door doesn't hurt. The dogs and I have used it many times as a short workout hike, usually trudging up the hour or so that it takes to get to a fine view of the Plott Town and Jacksonville communities.
I first completed this hike to the top of Brasstown Bald on Easter in 2007. This is the first time since then that I have completed the trip all the way to the parking area, which lies .6 miles below the summit. So, if you're looking to make this your trail of choice for ascending Brasstown Bald, add in another 20mins to reach the summit. The Easter hike was an in and out hike that took eight and a half hours to complete. This time again, I had Jennifer pick me up at the parking area so I could enjoy the ride back down, not to mention that darkness would have swallowed me about halfway back.
Like so many of my hikes in this area, the number of people that you pass on the trail is minimal. This day was no exception as I passed a couple and their dog a mere 30 minutes into the hike. From that point on, it was just me and the dogs.
The first hour and nine minutes involved a climb of 1,440' to get up onto the Buzzard Roost Ridge where there is a vantage point from a cluster of boulders where I always like to take a short break. From here, the trail continues along a narrow ridge where you can spy the tower on Brasstown Bald through the treetops. It looks closer than the two hours and a bit that it will take to travel across the ridges and up and down the peaks on the way to the parking area.
In the winter, the views are certainly better than the curtain of green that covers the trees in the summer. Views to the west overlook the Track Rock, Town Creek, and Choestoe Valley areas of the county. I wish there were some bluffs, much like the one on top of Blood Mountain, that would provide a more open view.
Leaving Buzzard Roost Ridge, the trail drops down into Cove Gap, thus beginning a series of ascents and descents until you break out into the open on the rocky top of Chimneytop Mountain (another of the Georgia 4000' peaks). This is also a nice spot to sit and give your legs a rest. From here, the trail is fairly level, taking you through the lush rhododendron and laurel tunnel all the way to the parking area.
The sweat on my body becomes a cold dampness as I break into the open at 4,320' elevation, where even on a late August evening in Georgia the wind makes it cool enough that I'm glad for the fleece stowed away in my pack. I stroll to the far end of the lot near where Jacks Knob Trail comes in from the south. There is a nice view from the picnic area back to the north, where a family is enjoying a late picnic all the while fighting the battle to keep their plates and napkins from blowing away.
As the sun begins to drop behind the ridges to the west, my ride arrives, ending yet another great day of hiking in North Georgia.
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