View Full Version : Pine Mountain Trail - GA
ColdFire
02-24-2009, 00:11
I would just like to let everyone know about this fanatastic trail system in the FDR State Park in midwest Georgia.
My wife and some freinds are planning a sectional hike of the AT over the next few years. we have been using this trail to hone our backpacking and hiking skills. This trail system is extremely well maintained and varies in easy to moderate hiking areas. It is a 23 mile trail from beginning to end and includes numerous loop trails that extend from the main trail itself.
Hoping to hear from other hikers who have enjoyed this trail! :sun
Ox97GaMe
02-24-2009, 01:44
I loved hiking this trail. The biggest problem I had was with finding campsites at the intervals I wanted to hike each day. That was several years ago. They may have added campsites since then. I ended up making it an overnight trip, splitting the distance almost exactly in half.
I would suggest it as a good training trip for longer hikes or for those just starting out in backpacking. It is relatively easy terrain, crosses the road several times, giving exits if necessary, and has some pretty nice views. I would suggest hiking sometime other than middle of summer. Temps there can reach 90+ degrees. I prefer hiking in the 50 and 60 temps.
awesome trail...awesome state park...perfect for training!
Lotta scout troops hike the PMT because it is so easy and always close to the road. Only 2 hours from Atlanta. The Calloway Gardens restaurant is right off trail and makes great fixins too. There is a nice swimming hole on the trail too.
I love the PMT. Great trail for a quick solo trip for those in the area. In the warmer months i can get off work, make the drive from Atlanta, register at the office and still get a few miles in before dark. Always well maintained and usually not too crowded. Most people I have come across are day hiking, so later in the day there is nobody around. Enjoy it. Oh, and stay at beech bottom site. Really nice.
sloopjonboswell
02-24-2009, 12:33
im a big fan. at cascade falls you can swim, rock climb, and camp on top of the ledge.
pizzaguy
02-24-2009, 17:56
I would just like to let everyone know about this fanatastic trail system in the FDR State Park in midwest Georgia.
My wife and some freinds are planning a sectional hike of the AT over the next few years. we have been using this trail to hone our backpacking and hiking skills. This trail system is extremely well maintained and varies in easy to moderate hiking areas. It is a 23 mile trail from beginning to end and includes numerous loop trails that extend from the main trail itself.
Hoping to hear from other hikers who have enjoyed this trail! :sun
It's a 23 mile trail with 18 more miles of loops and connectors for a total of 41 miles! Also, the horse trails on the east end of the park are seldom used and I walk them a lot - the Cheif of Police in Warm Springs can tell you when events are planned - so you know enough to keep off the trails those times.
The park features a LOT of undocumented stuff; several old building foundations dating back a long way, the old gold mining fields from the 1800's, FDR's old truck and barn (just the foundation), the old stables, the flowing wells that Calloway Gardens gets it's water from (the line is .9 miles long!), lots, lots more.
Also, if you look closely, you can see the old Boy Scout trails that criss-cross the park (fun to follow, but carry a GPS and spray yourself for ticks and bugs).
Almost 10,000 acres of beauty, trails, seclusion, great views and (in the summer) some pretty intense heat - but I have become adjusted to it (after living in Michigan for 40 years!)
One thing: the east end of the park is the most popular with families, and most dogs you encounter are not on a leash. I avoid the PMT from mile 18 to 23 when not in the mood to be around dogs UNLESS I find the parking lots empty!
I am there, on average, four times a month and do 9 or 10 miles a day - with a personal record of 55 miles in February, 2008.
pizzaguy
02-24-2009, 17:58
im a big fan. at cascade falls you can swim, rock climb, and camp on top of the ledge.
Other than the swimming, is any of that legal? I noticed the fire pit up there. And I have thought of rock climbing - and how much fun it would be to WATCH someone rock climb - heights are for the birds! :cool:
sloopjonboswell
02-25-2009, 02:54
there has been a hornets nest that might dissuade folks from the rock climbing. i can not speak of the legality of the things ive seen on that ledge ;) and if you know your way around, you can make it to the falls with about a 1/4 mile walk.
pizzaguy
02-25-2009, 09:44
a 1/4 mile? Where are you parking - at the police chief's house?
ColdFire
02-26-2009, 06:11
As far as camping in non-designated camping spots I don't think that's a good idea. But this time of year is perfect for this trail, temps in the 50-60's and nice and cool at night :banana The northern end of this trail 18-23 is the nicest so I would not avoid this section dogs or no dogs. And Ox97GaMe there are now some excellent camping spots along the trail now, almost all with plenty of nice streams close by and plenty of firewood.
I know for sures that Brown Dog campiste is a nice one and its at the 16 mile point and also the Old Saw Mill one at the 20 mile point is really nice, esteban mentioned the Beech Bottom one also so I cant wait to check that one out as well :)
We will be going again this weekend to do some more exploring and I will try to post some of the pictures I have taken.
If anyone would be interested in doing this trail from beginning to end in March sometime let me know as we are planning another 2-3 day trip.
Here is the link to the PMT website http://www.pinemountaintrail.org/index.html
slowandlow
02-26-2009, 11:44
Beech Bottom, Sparks Creek and Bethel Creek (my three favorites) are all nice campsites by streams that flow year round. Bethel Creek is a little close to the road, though.
pizzaguy
02-26-2009, 13:19
I know for sure that Brown Dog campiste is a nice one
Yea, and you can park out at Dowdell's knob - so your car is 1 mile behind a locked gate all night - I have never heard of a car being broken into - but it sure won't happen being parked out there!
And yea, 18-23 is a pretty stretch - I didn't mean to tell people to avoid that part of the trail - that is just me and my "I wanna get away from people" attitude showing thru! ;)
ColdFire
03-09-2009, 00:45
Well we had another great weekend on the PMT! it was great weather for hiking :banana We found the hornets nest in the rocks lol it's still there! I found an old logging road up above the falls I think it leads over near a paved road around Warm Springs or maybe over by the Golf Course not sure yet.
Saw some reall funny sites today on that section, I saw a guy carrying a cooler of beer all the way to the falls and with him was his wife carrying a real small child on her hip :eek: on the way back near mile marker 21 we saw where they had abandon the stroller lol. It amazes me how many people I see that are on day hikes that don't even carry a drop of water.
Yesterday we made a trip down to Beech Bottom to check it out, sadly to report the forrest service did a "controlled" burn in this area sometime in the recent past and so it kinda sucked walking through all that mess, and the worst part is that they managed to burn and kill the huge Poplar tree at the 10 mile marker. :mad: The new Jenkins Spring campsite is really nice so I would probably rather stay there now instead of Beech Bottom.
HikingIllini
03-20-2009, 10:43
Had a nice trip on the PMT in mid January. It was my first time there. The trail is well marked and maintained. Stop at the Country Store for breakfast after you complete the trail.
My buddy and I Yo-Yo'd it in about 12 hours of hiking time, although we took the loop trails on the way back, which cuts about 6 or 7 miles off the return. It's fairly easy when compared to the AT in Georgia, so it's a good shakedown or warmup for a longer hike.
Frick Frack
03-20-2009, 10:50
Now that we are living in the Peach State we will have to check it out....thanks.
Any mountain biking allowed?
slowandlow
03-20-2009, 10:56
No bikes allowed, foot traffic only.
Frick Frack
03-20-2009, 11:13
Horses?
HikingIllini
03-20-2009, 14:30
Horses?
There are occasional intersecting horse trails, but the majority is foot traffic only.
You can order a nifty Tyvek map from the PMT Association. They also sell them at the FDR state park HQ.
Butterfly58
09-18-2013, 11:33
I know this is an old thread but I found it on google. We are planning to hike this trail toward the end of October as a training hike for my AT thru next year. It is the closest "mountains" trail to where we live, lol. We've hiked there before but it's been about 10 years ago probably. Any updates on conditions on this trail? Can anybody give me a sense of what the weather will be like at that time of year? Thanks!!!
Hill Ape
09-18-2013, 13:43
its always well maintained, weather will be getting cool, nights may be chilly
chiefduffy
09-18-2013, 16:40
Should be beautiful in October. We hiked it last spring, found it well maintained, but some sections had been flattened by a tornado. The trail was cleared but the devastation amazing. This trail is very crowded on weekends.
Wife's blog of our hike:
http://prairiecat55kc.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/pine-mountain-trail-day-one/