Hiking Brasstown Bald, Georgia State Highpoint

Brasstown Bald is the highest mountain in Georgia and is an excellent summit for hiking in the northern mountains. I wanted to catch the sunset and it was late in the day so I did the easy 0.6 mile hike but it can be done as a much longer hike.

Sunset from Brasstown Bald

Day: 23

I felt a little touristy driving all the way to the summit parking lot of Georgia but I had driven all the way from Charleston and was quite tired. Unlike many high points, Brasstown Bald does offer some substantial hiking trails but it also has the 0.6 mile paved route from the parking lot which I took. Oh well.

Although you can see the summit from the parking area, it is several hundred feet above and the hike is steep. A paved trail reaches the summit and if you have impaired mobility, the park service can drive you to the summit. The trail itself doesn't really have much for scenery or interest other than the summit. Once on top, the observation tower is open during business hours but you can spend as much time as you'd like around the outside areas.  

Misty sunset

Sunset was a real treat. Fog had encircled the mountain making it hazy at first but it soon blew through and I was treated with stunning views of the Southern Appalachians. Brasstown Bald lacks in the elevation of other southern and central summits but it makes up for it with its isolation. I could tell that I was really missing out on a lot of what northern Georgia had to offer in the way of outdoors. So many ridges and valleys... I wished I wasn't just passing through like this. Other people on the summit were there for stargazing and they reported that it is one of the finer places in the entire range. They agreed that I was missing out in only spending a day here. 

Last look...

There's not too much more to say other than the summit was nice at sunset and I have a nice list of places to come back to in the Georgian Appalachians.

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