need Help finding this spot

[Josh Calhoun]

so i have recieved my AT guide book last week. now i am marking the "must See" areas on the trail. i love history and old buildings and chimneys. i have heard that somewhere in georgia there is a side trail that leads to a waterfall where there are indian carvings/paintings that are on a rock somewhere. does this ring a bell? anybody know where i can find that in my guide book?

also if there are any other really cool places i would love to hear about them. like nick grindstaffs memorial for an example. "i already know where that is"

[DeerPath]

I believe the carvings on the rocks you are talking about are "Track Rock" at Blairsville, Ga., not in walking distance off the AT. I saw them last Spring when a fellow hiker drove me to them after we got off the AT at Unicoi Gap. http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/track_rock.html

[Slo-go'en]

There is a waterfall a short distance off the AT in Georgia which is worth the walk to see. Most blow right by it with out stopping. You won't see another until almost out of North Carolina.

[upstream]

Long creek falls are maybe 200 feet off the trail about a mile northbound from Three Forks.

Raven Cliff Falls are pretty neat... The falls are in a tiny slot canyon right in the side of a cliff. Probably less than 2 miles from Hogpen Gap as the crow flies, but probably 4-5+ miles by car plus 2.5 mile hike to get there. And, you walk past some even larger falls on the way up.

TrackRock can be reached by trail from the AT: North on Jacks Knob Trail about 4.5 miles to Brasstown Bald, then West on Arkaquah trail about 5.5 miles to TrackRock Gap. Walking distance if you have time. But no falls there. Probably not worth the walk.

[Malto]

Long creek falls is the one you are talking about. I have seen the drawings but have read they are/were there. It is about a mile north of three forks just off the trail. There is a marked trail. Very nice falls and a great place for lunch on the first day of a thru.

[daddytwosticks]

Long creek falls is the one you are talking about. I have seen the drawings but have read they are/were there. It is about a mile north of three forks just off the trail. There is a marked trail. Very nice falls and a great place for lunch on the first day of a thru.

Agreed. Great stop for lunch/break and to soak your feet!

[Another Kevin]

If you love history and old buildings and chimneys, keep your eyes open in Harriman. The whole NY section west of the Hudson is an abandoned iron mining area. Harriman is full of the ruins of mine workings, roads, and villates. Virtually all of the buildings were burnt in the middle of the last century to keep squatters at bay, so all that you can find is foundations, chimneys, open mine shafts (if you bushwhack Harriman, be aware that these exist!) and rusting machinery, but it's all there to explore. The roads are still hikable, some of the orchards still bear fruit, and some of the old graves are still lovingly tended. At the very least, make a note of the wrecked gravel sorter beside the trail on the way in from the Elk Pen (there's colourful local history in that very name! [1]) to the Lemon Squeezer. And look for the Greenwood mine on your right just after the crossing of Surebridge Brook. You can see both of those without even leaving the trail.

A worthwhile blue-blaze for a history buff would be to overnight at the West Mountain shelter, and then head off on the Ramapo-Dunderberg (red disc on white) and Timp-Torne (blue square) trails to Timp Pass. Take the 1777 trail (red '1777' on white) north toward Bear Mountain. That route will take you on the path of the British army, coming to attack the rebellious Yankees at West Point. It visits the ruined hamlet of Doodletown, where plaques mark the foundations of the many old houses. There's not all that much to see between there and Bear Mountain compared with what's to the south, so from there, I'd take the bridle path (unblazed, but obvious) back to rejoin the A-T near the intersection of Seven Lakes Parkway and Perkins Memorial Drive.

Or head east on either Ramapo-Dunderberg or Timp-Torne and explore the grades of the never-completed Dunderberg Spiral Railway (ca 1892) which, if finished, would have been to this day the world's longest roller coaster. The T-T enjoys superb views of the Hudson Valley, the Indian Point power plant, and Manhattan if the weather's clear enough. The R-D looks north to Bear Mountain, and visits one of the two cable inclines that would have hauled the cars up the mountainside.

It's a shame that it's no longer possible to visit the Orangetown iron furnace. It's on West Point property; back in the day, the military reservation welcomed hikers, but they closed the boundaries in the wake of 9/11 and never reopened them.

All of these sites are on NY/NJ Trail Conference map #119.

And it seems as if thru-hikers never notice any of this.

[1] The Elk Pen was once fenced off, literally, as an elk pen. Railroad magnate Edward Harriman (father of New York Governor W. Averell Harriman) was an avid hunter, but got bored with the game that his estate had to offer, so he imported more interesting creatures from elsewhere. Harriman Park resulted from Mary Harriman, his widow, donating half his holdings to New York State in return for the state's agreeing not to build a prison at Bear Mountain.

[Josh Calhoun]

thanks anotherkevin! i made notes of all of this im my AT guide. if you can think of anything else please shoot me a PM and let me know!