Trails - Camping and More

Vogel State Park

One of Georgia's oldest and most popular state parks, Vogel is located at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Driving from the south, visitors pass through Neel Gap, a beautiful mountain pass near Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. Vogel is particularly popular during the fall when the Blue Ridge Mountains transform into a rolling blanket of red, yellow and gold leaves. Cottages, campsites and primitive backpacking sites provide a range of overnight accomodations.
Reservations (800) 864-7275 Park (706) 745-2628 Park Hours: 7AM-10PM
Office Hours: 8AM-5PM

Facilities
233 Acres 103 Tent, Trailer, RV Campsites ($20–$22)
18 Walk-in Campsites ($12)
35 Cottages ($65–$125)
20-Acre Lake
Swimming Beach
CCC Museum
General Store
4 Picnic Shelters ($35)
Group Shelter (seats 90, $130)
Pioneer Campground ($40 and up)
Primitive Backpacking Campsites
Park Map

Activities
Hiking and Backpacking – 17 miles of trails, Appalachian Trail nearby
Fishing
Lake Swimming
Pedal Boat Rental (seasonal)
Miniature Golf

Nearby Attractions
Appalachian Trail and Walasi-Yi Center
Unicoi State Park and Lodge
Dahlonega Gold Museum
Moccasin Creek State Park
Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge
Brasstown Valley Resort
Many Waterfalls
Northeast Georgia Visitor Information
Southern Highroads Trails

Camping Around

Overlooking beautiful Lake Chatuge in the north Georgia mountains, this recreation area offers camping, boating, fishing and hiking. Thirty campsites are available, with tent pads, grills and picnic tables.

Other Opportunities

Hikers can enjoy the 1.2-mile Lake Chatuge trail around the pine-covered peninsula.

Fishing for four species of bass, bream and catfish is popular among visitors.

A boat launch is near the area entrance.

The Forest Service Visitor Center atop Georgia's highest mountain, Brasstown Bald, is a nearby attraction.

Young Harris and Hiawassee are popular towns to visit for mountain festivals and fairs, as well as for their historic shops and scenery.

Young Harris is home to Brasstown Valley Resort; fairs, music festivals and performances by country music artists are held frequently at the nearby Georgia Mountain Fair. The Fred Hamilton Rhododendron Garden is also on the fairgrounds.

Brasstown Bald

Beautiful Brasstown Bald, rising 4,784 feet above sea level, is Georgia's highest mountain. On clear days, the spectacular 360-degree view from atop the mountain allows you to see four states, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The surrounding area is home to a wide variety of plants and animals.

The Visitor Information Center, located on the summit of the Bald, offers exhibits, video presentations and interpretive programs.

A steep, paved 1/2 mile trail leads from the parking lot to the Visitor Information Center on the Bald. For those who don't want to walk, a concessionaire operates a shuttle buss from the parking area to the Visitor Information Center for a fee.

Brasstown Bald is open daily from Memorial Day through October and on weekends in the early spring and late fall (depending on the weather). Brasstown Bald offers the following:

A panoramic view of four states from Georgia's highest mountain. See for yourself via our webcams.
Exhibits, which trace the natural and cultural history of the area
Video presentation shown regularly throughout the day in the mountaintop theatre
Access to four hiking trails ranging from 1/2 to 6 miles in length
Breathtaking displays of spring wildflowers and fall foliage
Picnic tables and snack food concessions at the parking area
Interpretive materials available from the Chattahoochee-Oconee Interpretive Association in the log cabin shop at the parking area.

Nottely Lake

Nottely Lake is located in North Georgia near Blairsville. The lake is 20 miles long and has 4,180 surface acres at normal summer pool elevations. The Chattahoochee National Forest, which borders a substantial portion of the lake, adds to the scenic quality of the area. Nottely is noted for its black and striped bass, walleye, rainbow trout, and bass which the state of Georgia has stocked to enhance fishing opportunities.

Nottely: Facts & Figures
	Construction of Nottely Dam began in 1941 and was completed in 1942.
	The dam is 184 feet high and stretches 2,300 feet across the Nottely River.
	The water level in Nottely Reservoir varies about 17 feet in a normal year.
	Nottely has a flood-storage capacity of 61,588 acre-feet.
	The generating capacity at Nottely Dam is 15,000 kilowatts of electricity.

Lake Chatuge

Chatuge Reservoir, located on the Hiwassee River in western North Carolina, is 13 miles long and extends southeast from the dam into north Georgia. The reservoir is named after a nearby Cherokee settlement.

Sport fishing is popular at Chatuge, both in the reservoir and in the Hiwassee River below the dam. Concrete weirs have been installed below the dam to provide a steady flow of water and to increase oxygen levels for fish and other aquatic animals. Wade fishing for trout is popular here since fish are attracted to the weirs, where food is abundant.

Chatuge is operated for many purposes, including flood control, power generation, and augmentation of water flows for navigation downstream.