View Full Version : Camping on Tray Mountian, Ga ?
snowman2
10-10-2007, 14:38
Question....Is there space on top of Tray Mountian to camp ? Looking at staying up there for an overnighter. Don't real want to stay in a shelter.
I have never been on that section before, any feedback would be great !!
Skidsteer
10-10-2007, 14:40
Question....Is there space on top of Tray Mountian to camp ? Looking at staying up there for an overnighter. Don't real want to stay in a shelter.
I have never been on that section before, any feedback would be great !!
Sure. Lots of good campsites but not right on the summit. Start looking just North of the summit and all along the sidetrail to the shelter.
snowman2
10-10-2007, 14:45
Thanks for the info. Last year I camped on the sumit at Siler Bald in NC. It was great. Was hoping to have a good view while camping on the sumit.
snowman2
10-10-2007, 14:47
Is there any sumits in north Ga or Nc that you can camp on with a great view ?
Gray Blazer
10-10-2007, 14:50
Is there any sumits in north Ga or Nc that you can camp on with a great view ?
Quite a few. Big Bald jumps to my mind. Big Hump. As far as camping at Tray Mt, here are a couple of nice spots on the trail to the shelter with a very nice back porch view.
Skidsteer
10-10-2007, 14:53
Is there any sumits in north Ga or Nc that you can camp on with a great view ?
Springer is OK. Rocky Mountain, Blood, um...Levelland, Wolf Laurel Top, Cowrock, probably a few I'm forgetting.
The only problem with most of them is water or rather the lack of it in GA.
NC has lots.
Standing Indian Mountain
Cheoah Bald
briarpatch
10-10-2007, 15:07
big cedar, granny knob, blood, and ramrock all have campsites on or near the summits.
snowman2
10-10-2007, 16:03
Thank you for the info. I will start looking up the suggestions. My cousin lives north of Atlanta and this is our yearly trip. We are looking for the best place to camp with a view.
Thanks again
There's a little site at the top of Kelly knob too on the right going NoBo, but no view that I remember.
There's a little site at the top of Kelly knob too on the right going NoBo, but no view that I remember.
That's going to be the problem in Ga on the summits. Just about all 'tops' have a site, but most are not very good 'view' sites, even in winter. The sites NOBO from the summit of Tray on the shelter trail are very nice at night as they overlook a valley of lights at night. Ramrock has a nice view south over the lights of Dahlonega and with Atlanta on the horizon.
Something on my agenda is to camp at Slaughter Gap and hike up to Blood Mt. at night (since I have no interest in staying at the shelter there).
Jack Tarlin
10-10-2007, 16:55
There's also a cool campsite on Cowrock mountain, just noth of Neels Gap.
If you place your tent right, you'll catch a sunset and a sunrise from the same spot!!
springerfever
10-10-2007, 17:01
Albert Mt in the Standing Indian area is one of my favorites, with a fire tower to boot and a shelter/water about 1/2 mile north....
Question....Is there space on top of Tray Mountian to camp ? Looking at staying up there for an overnighter. Don't real want to stay in a shelter.
I have never been on that section before, any feedback would be great !!
IF I remember correctly, just past the summit there's a little campsite that I thought would be a great place to watch the sunrise, It was on the right side of the trail.
snowman2
10-10-2007, 20:50
Thanks again, I am just starting and like to set up camp in a 1 man tent. Love the high summits with a view. North Ga and N.C. on the AT is what I'm looking at doing. I fly up from Jacksonville Fl, so I want it to be awesome. The post really help.....
Thanks again
The sites NOBO from the summit of Tray on the shelter trail are very nice at night as they overlook a valley of lights at night. .
Camped there last year, you are most definately correct! And a great view of a full moon rising that night as well. It's a very cool mtn, and the same area where some of us gals heard what we think was a cat ( not housecat).
Jim Adams
10-10-2007, 23:26
the summit is very close, easily accessable to the sites and a good view. There is also a spring too.
cold spot in march but one of my favorite places to camp.
geek
snowman2
10-10-2007, 23:56
Thats great to hear about Tray. I starting to lean towards doing that section with hearing the great reports of the camp site being near the top and water.
I heard there is a logging road to get to the top. I was hoping that was not true. I like the place to be only accessible by hikers only, not vehicles. Does any know if there is a road that leads up there ?
One of my favorite campsites along the Tray Mtn section is about 100 yards before the shelter on the right. Very nice level campsite with an excellent rock outcrop 20 feet away. Great night gazing (stars and town lights). On a VERY clear day, you can see Stone Mtn. just outside of Atlanta, well over 100 miles away. Sounds like from the water reports that there may be no water at the shelter however, and that's the only water anywhere near this campsite. :(
Lone Wolf
10-11-2007, 00:00
Thats great to hear about Tray. I starting to lean towards doing that section with hearing the great reports of the camp site being near the top and water.
I heard there is a logging road to get to the top. I was hoping that was not true. I like the place to be only accessible by hikers only, not vehicles. Does any know if there is a road that leads up there ?
USFS 79 goes to within .8 of Tray Mtn.
Ron Haven
10-11-2007, 02:42
USFS 79 goes to within .8 of Tray Mtn.L.Wolf that's correct.It bears right at that point and turns to FS 283 down by Indian Grave Gap and back to GA 75 just north of Unicoi Gap.
another nice camp spot is just north of Tray and just north of Addis Gap,ond the way up to Kellies knob is the 1st switch back on the right.Beautiful camp site with a morning and evening view.;)
springerfever
10-11-2007, 05:18
Yep..pretty easy access to Tray mountain due to a couple of USFS roads nearby. Hadn't been on them in a while but they were accessable by all vehicles, not just a 4X4. The most widely used access is probably the one that is just north of Helen, Ga on the right.
I wouldn't let this stop me. The access roads are long and you do have to go slow, so it takes a while. More than likely all you will see are hikers that spent a fair amount of time to get there. What trailhead are you going to use?
drdewrag
10-11-2007, 07:40
As everyone else has said, there is not a spot on the summit of Tray per se, but there is a ledge just off to the right if you are Northbound that will accomodate a couple of people or so. Just watch your sleep walking...
Gray Blazer
10-11-2007, 07:46
Yep..pretty easy access to Tray mountain due to a couple of USFS roads nearby. Hadn't been on them in a while but they were accessable by all vehicles, not just a 4X4. The most widely used access is probably the one that is just north of Helen, Ga on the right.
I wouldn't let this stop me. The access roads are long and you do have to go slow, so it takes a while. More than likely all you will see are hikers that spent a fair amount of time to get there. What trailhead are you going to use?
Yeah, that road goes to Tray Mountain Gap. If you camp there on a Fri night you're likely to get some free beers from the locals who hang out there.
snowman2
10-11-2007, 14:47
Thanks for the report. My cousin has the maps and knows where were are starting at. We went to Siler Bald in NC last year, great stuff. Once we hiked out we drove to the fire tower at Wayah Blad and it blew me away that you could drive to the top. When I make my trip up there I want to get away from everything that has to do with vehicles and phones. Just want to enjoy a good hike with a nice view at the top
Map of Tray Mtn area. (http://www.topozone.com/getmap.asp?v=jYXRD0%3FC3UdZFJ9INRKR%3FOSRRVZQW%5BR Z%60%5E%5C%60dd%5Cfb%5Ddhjkjhfongousuuwrqv%7Di%7D% 7E%7Fm%82%84%7Fq%7F)
snowman2
10-11-2007, 19:52
Thanks for the map. Has anyone ever come across people driving up to Tray ? I guess I asking about the 4x4 beer drinkers around the camp fire....?
Thanks for the map. Has anyone ever come across people driving up to Tray ? ?
Yeah, I've been up that road quite a few times, and have been passed by rangers, hunters ( in season) locals, you just never know.
Skidsteer
10-11-2007, 19:55
Thanks for the map. Has anyone ever come across people driving up to Tray ? I guess I asking about the 4x4 beer drinkers around the camp fire....?
Yeah all the time on weekends. They've all been fine, friendly locals out to have a good time in my experience. No bad experiences so far.
Lone Wolf
10-11-2007, 19:55
Thanks for the map. Has anyone ever come across people driving up to Tray ? I guess I asking about the 4x4 beer drinkers around the camp fire....?
you really need to go find another place to hike. alaska comes to mind. the majority of folks driving those FS roads aren't beer drinkers in 4X4s. you constantly whine about it
snowman2
10-11-2007, 20:16
Just checking since its my only hiking trip of the year. We will most likely hike that section and stay there. Sounds great, just checking on what I have heard.
Thanks to everyone for the info. It really helps when planning a trip from Jacksonville. This form is very friendly and willing to help.
Thanks again,
Brad Smith
Skidsteer
10-11-2007, 20:32
Resolve to be flexible and you'll likely enjoy backpacking most anywhere. At the very least you'll have some good stories after you get out of hospital.
Remember, a backpacking trip doesn't have to look like the rest of your life. Otherwise, why go?;)
Waterbuffalo
10-12-2007, 18:47
One common place that keeps coming up is standing indian I take it it's a must see place also ?
It is somewhere I haven't been either?
Oh and Lonewolf thanks for in imput on Alaska That's in the plans. I think what Brad was trying to say is he want's piece and quiet not Bubba drunk on his Quad flying though his tent. Since we only make this trip once a year.
Lone Wolf
10-12-2007, 19:08
Oh and Lonewolf thanks for in imput on Alaska That's in the plans. I think what Brad was trying to say is he want's piece and quiet not Bubba drunk on his Quad flying though his tent. Since we only make this trip once a year.
then brad needs to hike somewhere other than the east coast on the world's most famous hiking trail. ya think?
smokymtnsteve
10-12-2007, 19:25
you really need to go find another place to hike. alaska comes to mind. the majority of folks driving those FS roads aren't beer drinkers in 4X4s. you constantly whine about it
no not Alaska
no more folks should be allowed to move to AK since I'm here. but no More!
snowman2
10-12-2007, 19:38
LWolf, Im a police officer and dont like dealing with idiots when Im hiking. I love to hit the trail to get away from the crime filled society that I deal with everyday. Thats what I was asking about it, but in an indirect polite way.
Brad Smith
buckowens
10-12-2007, 21:10
One of my favorite campsites along the Tray Mtn section is about 100 yards before the shelter on the right. Very nice level campsite with an excellent rock outcrop 20 feet away. Great night gazing (stars and town lights). On a VERY clear day, you can see Stone Mtn. just outside of Atlanta, well over 100 miles away. Sounds like from the water reports that there may be no water at the shelter however, and that's the only water anywhere near this campsite. :(
I remember this sight well as Roo and I stopped there to have lunch in June. Beautiful view... As I recall, you can also see Currahee Mountail near Toccoa, GA, which is the famous training sight of the 101st Airborne Division prior to the invasion at Normandy in WW2.
Waterbuffalo
10-12-2007, 21:17
Wasn't Currahee mountain the one on The movie band of brothers too?
Speaking of "beer drinking locals," last Memorial Day weekend I stayed at Carter Gap and had intended to stay on top of Standing Indian (as I have many times) the following night, but someone at Carter Gap that evening warned me about "Bubba," as she was going the opposite direction I was and had stayed on top of Standing Indian the previous night. Bubba was there for the 3-day weekend, all three nights, drinking beer literally around the clock. She said he almost fell in the fire and almost fell off the rock overlook a few feet away.
Next day I hiked to Standing Indian trying to stay optimisitc about what this "Bubba" would be like . . . "maybe he was a happy drunk" I thought to myself, one of the harmless kind. Well, when I walked into the clearing on Standing Indian summit, I knew in about a millisecond I would not endure the night in the company of Bubba . . . a very, very sad sight. He was making daily trips with empty pack down to his car in Deep Gap to haul a full pack of beer up each day. He had a cheap 1980s portable radio blaring out music, a K-mart special $20 tent, and two very shady looking companions, who must have been amused by Bubba's binge drinking.
I soaked in the beautiful view (back to Bubba and face to the gorge below the rock outcrop) for a few minutes and hoisted my pack and hiked on . . .
Thanks for the map. Has anyone ever come across people driving up to Tray ? I guess I asking about the 4x4 beer drinkers around the camp fire....?
LWolf, Im a police officer and dont like dealing with idiots when Im hiking. I love to hit the trail to get away from the crime filled society that I deal with everyday. Thats what I was asking about it, but in an indirect polite way.There is nothing criminal about driving a 4x4 and drinking a beer around a campfire in the Chattahoochee National Forest. In fact, driving a 4x4 is preferred as there are knuckleheads in family sedans getting stuck all the time.
If you are concerned about sharing the forest with these folks, you are lucky you are hiking. As a hiker you can get places their 4x4 can't so just hike on. The National Forest is a big place, there is enough room for everyone.
One common place that keeps coming up is standing indian I take it it's a must see place also ?
It is somewhere I haven't been either?
View from the summit of Standing Indian Mountain (http://209.200.85.146/trailjournals/photos/4447/tj4447%5F050206%5F134900%5F143438.jpg)
Campsite (http://209.200.85.146/trailjournals/photos/5683/tj5683%5F091507%5F100835%5F260837.jpg)
buckowens
10-13-2007, 05:42
Wasn't Currahee mountain the one on The movie band of brothers too?
Yes it was. The one they ran up and down all of the time for PT. Another pilot in my unit lives there. While deployed, we watched the tapes of the show every Sunday night as a group. We joked that those guys had it tough, but they had not been to the "Vo" (As in Kosovo), and we would lament the fact that the mess hall was out of ice cream or some other injustice. :D
nitewalker
10-13-2007, 07:04
sleep under the fire tower at wayah bald. i slept under the tower last yr with pit dog and at 5am there was a group of 4 post college grads getting together at this time to see the sunrise from the tower. it was an awe inspiring morning. the view goes on for miles....i belive it was wayah....
View from the summit of Standing Indian Mountain (http://209.200.85.146/trailjournals/photos/4447/tj4447%5F050206%5F134900%5F143438.jpg)
Campsite (http://209.200.85.146/trailjournals/photos/5683/tj5683%5F091507%5F100835%5F260837.jpg)Sniff, sniff . . . I love that place! :)
I camped in the open area a number of times, but with the number of visitors spending time here before moving on, I found it more suitable to my liking to pitch my tent to the left of the "campsite" picture among the rhododendron, also providing shade.
BTW, though not well documented, there is water . . . back at the AT junction, 20 yards south of trail to summit is a blue blazed trail down to water. It's a "haul" bringing it up, but I carry a 2 1/2 gallon collapsable jug and only have to do it once, even if I stay two nights! ;)
nitewalker
10-13-2007, 08:48
i may be wrong on where i stayed. if wayah had the rock tower than it was the metal fire tower near tellico. my memory eludes me at the moment and i have no handbook close by.....anyway great views from the tower
springerfever
10-13-2007, 09:11
There is also an excellent campsite just south (1/4 mile) of the Standing Indian summit. Approaching the summit, look to the right. You have to do a 20 yard scramble to a grassy, fairly flat area with a decomposing fire ring and close by is an overlook with a view of the summit......very,very nice...if you use the fire ring, please make sure ashes are cold and practice LNT.
The Standing Indian area is incredible. Park your car at the Campground or Backcountry Parking and hike up to some of the best trail in the Southeast.
Waterbuffalo
10-13-2007, 10:04
Thanks for the info Springerfever I'll probably park at the deep gap Since It's a section I havn't completed yet. Talking to Brad last night I think we are going to do Standing Indian instead of Tray. Since I'm going to Tray next weekend. This cooler weather down here is giving the the buzz to hike again.
snowman2
10-13-2007, 22:52
Thanks guys for the input on the two mountians. We are going to hike the section of Deep Gap to Standing Indiain and stay on the summit in Feb. I know it will be cold, but I enjoy the cold weather after being in Florida.
My 2 cents to LWolf. He is an IDIOT...!!!! I was just trying to get help from the people who have hiked different sections of the trail. I am new to the form and was asking questions on things that I did not know about. I did not think that I would get pounded for asking.
By the way my cousin sent LWolf an email about his comments and he went off, speaking his true self without everyone else seening it. What a great guy....!!!!
Best Regards,
Brad Smith
Not all people who drive 4x4's into the mountains to sit around a campfire and drink beer are redneck hilljacks. Other than hiking and backpacking, I love four wheeling and car camping, hunting, fishing, canoeing, ATV's, the whole gamut of outdoor activities. True, there are bad apples who illegally and unnecessarily disturb the peace and damage the environment and I DO know what you're talking about, but don't automatically assume that just because a guys got a lift kit and mud terrain tires on the truck he's sitting on the tailgate of with a beer in his hand that he's a hick looking for trouble.
Bigben
Lone Wolf
10-14-2007, 00:27
My 2 cents to LWolf. He is an IDIOT...!!!! I was just trying to get help from the people who have hiked different sections of the trail. I am new to the form and was asking questions on things that I did not know about. I did not think that I would get pounded for asking.
I AM an ass*ole. but i know what i'm talkin' about. :cool: