Looking for Yonah Mountain in Georgia

[Speer Carrier]

All the views discussed are great. However, I think my favorite view of Yonah is from the parking lot of The West Family Restaurant after a few tours of the breakfast buffet.

Many of the GATC's third Saturday trail maintenance projects start at The West Family Restaurant, and seeing Yonah right next door, so to speak, always inspires us to do a good days work.

[TrailLover]

Well, it was worth a try.
I guess I'll create a new post with the same question and see if I get any bites.
Nice pic. I'm still mystified as to where you took it because I walked Wildcat Ridge from the Whitley Gap Intersection westward until the trail started to go down a lot and started to switchback (about halfway to Tesnatee). I cheked out every spot on the left side of the trail that seemed to have promise and came up empty.

[Youngblood]

Well, it was worth a try.
I guess I'll create a new post with the same question and see if I get any bites.
Nice pic. I'm still mystified as to where you took it because I walked Wildcat Ridge from the Whitley Gap Intersection westward until the trail started to go down a lot and started to switchback (about halfway to Tesnatee). I cheked out every spot on the left side of the trail that seemed to have promise and came up empty.

You went right by it. From the Whitley Gap Intersection, it is on the left of the trail and to the right of the trail I recall a little camp spot or fire ring. Like I said you have to carefully inch you way down 5 or 10 feet to get the view, just try to look around Cowrock Mountain.

[Youngblood]

All the views discussed are great. However, I think my favorite view of Yonah is from the parking lot of The West Family Restaurant after a few tours of the breakfast buffet.

Many of the GATC's third Saturday trail maintenance projects start at The West Family Restaurant, and seeing Yonah right next door, so to speak, always inspires us to do a good days work.

Thanks, where is The West Family Restaurant? Is it closer than Ingles Supermarket in Cleveland?
Attachment 434

If you have a favorite photo from there and post it on WhiteBlaze I can edit the 1st post in this thread to link to it. I think that would be neat.

Youngblood

[Youngblood]

After looking at all this again, it dawned on me that the photo sequence I posted shows that Yonah Mountain is watching over you on your nobo journey along the Georgia section of the AT from the highest peak on the Georgia AT (Blood Mountain) all the way to the second highest peak on the Georgia AT (Tray Mountain). After that... you are on your on until Standing Indian's watch. Anybody know roughly where you first view Standing Indian on a nobo hike? After Standing Indian, I think Albert Mountain would be next and somewhere along the way before you hit the Smokies there is Wayah Bald and Cheoah Bald.

I wonder how many prominate peaks watch over hikers for significant miles on their journey north and what range their territory, or viewing area, covers? If it hasn't been done already, it would be a neat project for the WhiteBlaze community. Certainly it would add to hikers geographic and maybe even historical sense of the trail. Any thoughts?

Youngblood

[TrailLover]

You went right by it. From the Whitley Gap Intersection, it is on the left of the trail and to the right of the trail I recall a little camp spot or fire ring. Like I said you have to carefully inch you way down 5 or 10 feet to get the view, just try to look around Cowrock Mountain.

Okay, but I'm puzzled. How is it that going down gets a better view? What's in the way being "up". When you inch your way down are you scaling a rock precipice or something?

[Dances with Mice]

Okay, but I'm puzzled. How is it that going down gets a better view? What's in the way being "up". When you inch your way down are you scaling a rock precipice or something?

He was probably trying to work around tree branches. Those damn things spoil a lot of views. If they'd just cut down a bunch of those trees we'd be able to see the wilderness a lot better.

[TrailLover]

He was probably trying to work around tree branches. Those damn things spoil a lot of views. If they'd just cut down a bunch of those trees we'd be able to see the wilderness a lot better.

Ha.
If that doesn't invite a flame or 2 I'd be suprised.

[Youngblood]

DWM was making a funny, you know how those jugglers are. But if you look at the photo again ( http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...=665&userid=41 ) you will see he understood the problem. I think you can only see it when the leafs are down.

[Mother Nature]

I enjoyed the Yonah photos very much. My cabin is near Yonah and I get a clear closeup shot of it across my neighbor's pasture. When we were hiking NOBO in 2004, Smokestack and I laughed everytime we took a look out at the scenery and saw, once again, Yonah Mountain. We didn't feel we were hiking in new territory until we finally "lost" our home view.

Mother Nature

[Dances with Mice]

Ha. If that doesn't invite a flame or 2 I'd be suprised.

You must be new around here....

[TrailLover]

You must be new around here....

I don't frequent here, yes.
Didn't know whether you were a blithering idiot or a serious outdoorsperson with tongue-in-cheek.
Shoulda given you the benefit of the doubt.

[Speer Carrier]

Youngblood, The West Family Restaurant is on State Route 75 about half way between Cleveland and Helen. Their parking lot is just about right next to the gated road that leads up to the trail for Yonah.

It's a great restaurant that specializes in all you can eat buffets. Because of its location, the GATC usually meets there when trail maintenance is to be done anywhere between Hogpen Gap and Unicoi Gap.

As an example, on November's third Saturday maintenance about 60 of us met at 8:00 AM and had a big breakfast before heading for Poplar Stamp Gap and the section that we are relocating.

[sliderule]

I'm trying something different here and am not sure how well it will be received. So, with that in mind I have tried to put together a series of pictures identifying Yonah Mountain in Georgia from several of the locations that I could spot it from. Yonah is one of the easiest landmarks to identify on the Georgia AT and can be seen from many of the scenic vistas along a 25 mile stretch of the AT, so it is pretty unique by Georgia standards.

Blood Mtn is 28.4 miles from Springer and Yonah is 14 miles away at a bearing of 119 degrees true (or about 116 degrees magnetic). Photo link:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/sh...php?photo=2983

Levelland Mtn is 32.2 miles from Springer and Yonah is 13 miles away at a bearing of 121 degrees true (or about 118 degrees magnetic). Photo link:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/sh...cat=554&page=1

Wolf Laurel Top is 34.1 miles from Springer and Yonah is 11 miles away at a bearing of 122 degrees true (or about 119 degrees magnetic). Photo link:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/sh...cat=554&page=1

Cowrock Mtn is 35.4 miles from Springer and Yonah is 10 miles away at a bearing of 125 degrees true (or about 122 degrees magnetic). Photo link:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/sh...cat=554&page=1

Rocky Mtn is 52 miles from Springer and Yonah is 11 miles away at a bearing of 175 degrees true (or about 172 degrees magnetic). Photo link:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/sh...cat=554&page=1

Tray Mtn is 56.2 miles from Springer and Yonah is 11 miles away at a bearing of 190 degrees true (or about 187 degrees magnetic). Photo link:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/sh...cat=554&page=1

I hope this helps some folks enjoy the scenery in Georgia just a little more.

Youngblood

I think that you applied the magnetic variation backwards when converting true bearings to magnetic bearings. Variation (aka declination) in that area is about 4 1/2 degrees West, not 3 degrees East.

[Youngblood]

I think that you applied the magnetic variation backwards when converting true bearings to magnetic bearings. Variation (aka declination) in that area is about 4 1/2 degrees West, not 3 degrees East.

Thanks for catching that. The way they have it set up these days I can't edit the original post, so I'm not sure what to do with your corrections.

[Bulldawg]

I was just thinking about hiking the new trail to the summit of Yonah and here I find this thread while googling the Yonah Mountain Trail. Anyone up for it?

[Bulldawg]

Man Youngblood's pictures are not viewable anymore!!!

[Skidsteer]

Man Youngblood's pictures are not viewable anymore!!!

Here's a few photo's, John.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...?i=21989&c=683
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...?i=21988&c=683
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...?i=21987&c=683
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...?i=21986&c=683
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...?i=21985&c=683

[Mother Nature]

I'll climb Yonah with ya. I ain't the fastest but I'm not the slowest.

I can see Yonah dead center in my neighbor's pasture.

PM me if you want to go. I am free during the week.

[whitefoot_hp]

Thanks, where is The West Family Restaurant? Is it closer than Ingles Supermarket in Cleveland?
Attachment 434

yes, its just up the road from ingles (on the way to helen). if you turn right at West's, it takes you to the yonah trailhead i believe.