I am putting together a backpacking trip on the Benton MacKaye trail. I am considering doing the section through the Cohutta and Bigfrog wilderness areas and then continuing on and doing the section from the Ocoee to the Hiawassee River. What I need to know is...is this section worth doing? How does it compare to the trail running through the wilderness areas before it? From the maps it doesn't look nearly as hilly. Is it scenic or is it boring? If you've hiked this section, whats your take on it and would you do it again? Thanks! David.

I am putting together a backpacking trip on the Benton MacKaye trail. I am considering doing the section through the Cohutta and Bigfrog wilderness areas and then continuing on and doing the section from the Ocoee to the Hiawassee River. What I need to know is...is this section worth doing? How does it compare to the trail running through the wilderness areas before it? From the maps it doesn't look nearly as hilly. Is it scenic or is it boring? If you've hiked this section, whats your take on it and would you do it again? Thanks! David.

I just walked from 3-Forks to the Ocoee. I had a wonderful time. The section along the eastern edge of Cohutta was the most beautiful part of the hike, most of it is an old forest service road that runs the ridge. Tim Homan's BMT guide book refers to this section as one of the premier hikes in GA. Unless you are leaving in a few days you won't have the winter views I had, but everything is starting to bloom. Heading down from Big Frog is straightforward but it is easy to miss a turn off and wind up on the extensive system of bike trails that exist down near the river. That is what I did, so I missed the last 3 miles of the BMT and came out at the Whitewater center. Getting hopelessly lost wasn't an issue, just missing the intended trail. There is a more detailed map of the Big Frog Area that I'll have next hike. Nat Geographic #781 (Cherokee Nat Forest) covers all of that route

TAK is right about the section north of Big Frog. It is very nice walking that ridge.

The section from Ocoee to the Hiawassee is easy and has some nice views. We did this section in two days with a beginner

No water issues anywhere

Have fun

Wife and I will start a section hike from Springer to Hiawasee in mid May, any advice on shuttle from Hiawasee back to Neells? Thanks

Wife and I will start a section hike from Springer to Hiawasee in mid May, any advice on shuttle from Hiawasee back to Neells? Thanks

I'm not understanding your question, Neel Gap on the AT? Hiawasse GA or Hiawasse River in TN on the BMT?

Nobody else has hiked this section that cares to comment?

Just go hike it. its a nice section.

I day hiked the 17 miles between US 64 and the Hiwassee. It's a nice section. I saw more sign of Bobcat in that section than anywhere other than the Florida Trail through the St Marks NWR.

Enjoy!

David, did you make the trip? If so, how was it? I am taking a group through Cohutta/Big Frog on the BMT soon. I'd be interested in knowing how your trip went.


Thanks,
Gladiator

Yep, made the trip....sort of. We started out at mile 39.8 at the Falls branch road trail access and hiked about 50 miles to the Ocoee river. It was a great hike over all. There did seem to be a surprising amount of road walking for about 8 miles near the beginning of this section but the rest was just wonderful. The first 4 days we had a lot of rain which kind of got old near the forth day. The fifth day was absolutely spectacular and that day we walked the entire Cohutta and Big Frog section and ended up at the Ocoee, Thunder Rock campground that evening. A friend brought us some pizza...and a weather forecast. The next two days there was lots of rain forecast and we were just tired of having to hang out under the tarp in camp. Simply put....we were wusses. We decided to camp at thunder rock that evening and leave the next morning with our friend. So, we didn't get to hike the section from Ocoee to Hiawassee. This month however, my girlfriend and I are going to hike this section tegether so that I can feel complete in my original goal of doing this section.

We did see a moma bear and a cub near the end of the Big Frog section. Moma was climbing down out of a tree when we saw her and then the little baby cub followed a minute or two later. That was a highlight.

The top of Big Frog mountain was also spectacular as it was still early springtime up there and the views were pretty good. The hike up the southeast side of Big Frog coming out of Double Spring Gap was the toughest climb of the hike by far so anticipate going pretty much straight up the mountian...it gets you to the top quick though! I think its almost 1000 feet in .7 miles or something close to that.

We thoroughly enjoyed the hike over all. We only saw two other people on trail the entire time (one was a turkey hunter and the other a mountain biker near the Ocoee region) and we had some gorgeous campsite locations all to ourselves.

I would definitely recommend this hike but just prepare yourself for a good bit of road walking for about 8 miles or so after the trail crosses US Hwy 76.