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  1. #1
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    Default Closet trailhead to Georgia/NC line

    Question: I am section hiking from Springer Mt. to NC\GA line. Need to get off trail at that point....can anyone tell me what is the closest point to leave the trail? Thank you!

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    Deep Gap, NC is the most popular I believe
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gambit McCrae View Post
    Deep Gap, NC is the most popular I believe
    Yes... 85.0 trail miles N of southern terminus

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    Do yourself a favor
    Forget about stupid state lines and end somewhere convenient

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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    Do yourself a favor
    Forget about stupid state lines and end somewhere convenient
    what he said

    the mountains don't adhere to man made boundaries. ive never understood why some care about them while hiking. some of them are in places where its an obvious good place to stop anyway. thats great then. but the jumping through hurdles to hike to the CT/MA border or the NH/ME border or the GA/NC border have always perplexed me. they just arent places where a hike begins or ends.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    what he said
    but the jumping through hurdles to hike to the CT/MA border or the NH/ME border or the GA/NC border have always perplexed me. they just arent places where a hike begins or ends.
    Yep, those are places to just passed by. But Woody gap is the most convenient place the closest to the GA/NC line to get off. The next closest place is up in NC at Deep gap, but that location is less then convenient.

    So, if actually going to the state line is important, one must hike up to the line and go back to Woody Gap, or continue on to Deep gap which adds another day or two to the trip.
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  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    Yep, those are places to just passed by. But Woody gap is the most convenient place the closest to the GA/NC line to get off. The next closest place is up in NC at Deep gap, but that location is less then convenient.

    So, if actually going to the state line is important, one must hike up to the line and go back to Woody Gap, or continue on to Deep gap which adds another day or two to the trip.
    Pretty sure your thinking Dicks Creek gap.

    Go farther, go shorter, but if its a pain to get to once ,its a pain to get back to in order to pick up there next time.

    you can actually access very close Bly gap on a Forest road with a four-wheeldrive. You can get very close. I met a dayhiker walking dog at bly gap once...he told me he had parked pretty close. I looked at it on aerial photographs once and sure enough it was a road that went up close.

    For sure you can access blue ridge Gap via hightower road. There's subdivisions there pretty close to the trail that's about one and a half miles back from Bly Gap.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 03-25-2019 at 20:58.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    Pretty sure your thinking Dicks Creek gap.

    Go farther, go shorter, but if its a pain to get to once ,its a pain to get back to in order to pick up there next time.

    you can actually access very close Bly gap on a Forest road with a four-wheeldrive. You can get very close. I met a dayhiker walking dog at bly gap once...he told me he had parked pretty close. I looked at it on aerial photographs once and sure enough it was a road that went up close.

    For sure you can access blue ridge Gap via hightower road. There's subdivisions there pretty close to the trail that's about one and a half miles back from Bly Gap.
    Your right, Dicks Creek gap. Kind of hard to keep all them gaps sorted out.

    There was some discussion about the "road" to Bly gap last year. It didn't sound very practical. I doubt a shuttle driver would be willing to try it, or if they would, it would cost you. Much easier to stay at the Top of Georgia, hike up to the state line and come back. If your planning to eventually continue on, no big deal repeating those couple of miles by starting at Dicks Creek again. Or just stop at Dicks Creek and gives you a reason to come back and keep going north.
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  10. #10
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    Thank you MuddyWaters for that comment. The state line thing has been bugging me! Dicks Creek Gap it is, I will have my 11 year old daughter starting at Amicalola for our second section hike.
    Last edited by clwhatley26; 04-08-2019 at 23:03.

  11. #11
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    +1 on ending at a reasonably accessible place, especially if one is going to start at the same spot for the next hike. Dick's Creek Gap is very accessible, it's on a major road. Deep Gap is closer but less accessible, it's on a gravel Forest Service road that is closed in the winter. If you want to end near Deep Gap, it's easier to hike down the Kimsey Creek trail to the Standing Indian campground, which is on a paved road and has parking.
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  12. #12
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    Dicks Creek is a pretty convenient place to stop. Nice little parking area, plus a little town is near by, which means a good hot meal.

  13. #13
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    I agree on DCG. I just returned with friends from a section hike, Amicola to DCG. We had wanted to hit the NC border too but, realized that it wasn't a reasonable place to stop. This way, when we go back, we have a great starting point. Great trip, have fun suffering.

  14. #14
    Registered User scope's Avatar
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    You might be interested in the Top of Ga Hiker Hostel that is near Dicks Creek Gap. Sleep first night there coming in from TX (I presume), leave car there and get shuttled to Springer, hiking back to your car at the hostel. Not much parking at Dicks Creek Gap and is sort of a lonely place to end a hike. Personally, I would recommend starting there and hiking to Springer and on down to Amicalola on the approach trail. Great place to end a hike. Great to start, too, with the photo-op arch and all, but that's a long uphill to Springer. Granted, the whole Ga AT is all up and down, but the approach trail is all up to Springer, or down to Amicalola (mostly). Might even consider staying at the Len Foote Hike Inn the last night if you can get a room. Or the lodge at Amicalola, which might be nice for a cush night before driving back?

    Happy to help with itinerary and fav camp spots.
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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by clwhatley26 View Post
    ...I will have my 11 year old daughter starting at Amicalola for our second section hike.
    What was your first section hike?
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
    - Kate Chopin

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