We will hike eight miles out and back to the Jacks River falls area, where we will have lunch and meander around the falls. The Cohutta Wilderness is the largest wilderness area in the Eastern US was established in an eastern wilderness act passed by Congress in 1975. This wilderness area, south of the better known Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, is the 34,000 acre Cohutta mountain lands in both Georgia and Tennessee. This pristine Cohutta Wilderness of the southern Appalachians contains lands from both the Chattahoochee (GA) and Cherokee (TN) National Forests and centers on Big Frog Mountain. And off the slopes of Big Frog Mountain, two steep and rocky waterways (Jacks and Conasauga Rivers) join together to define the beautiful cove-like Alaculsy Valley. This is a land where man is now only a visitor.

Eastern wilderness does not necessarily mean acres of virgin timber. All the east has been logged, and even the remote Jacks River watershed in this Cohutta Wilderness had a narrow-gauge logging railroad along that natural accessway over 80 years ago. That overgrown railroad bed today is a waterside trail grade allowing access up that river for about 10 miles (but following it requires fording the stream 22 times!) And about 8 miles upstream from where Jacks River joins with the Conasauga River lies a natural river obstruction of exceptional beauty: Jacks River Falls. These Falls are described in the guidebook by Tim Homan (The Hiking Trails of North Georgia) as being "... the most scenic single feature in the Cohutta Wilderness. Descending in stages, the surging water piles up against boulders and rock walls, frothing back on itself like upwelling caldrons."

Meetup time: 8:45 am
Required Items: Headlamp/,hiking shoes and cold weather hiking attire, water, snacks
Recommended Items: Camera, trekking poles, a smile!

Distance: 8 miles total
Type: -up and back
Terrain: Moderate/Strenuous
Rating: Moderate/Strenuous
Expected Pace: Moderate 2+mph
Expected Duration: 7-8 hrs including time for views and driving
Carpool location: TBA
Carpool Costs: Your driver will determine your costs, bring cash.

Drive time: 1.5 hour from downtown Chattanooga.

Note: This is a cold weather hike. Please be prepared with layered clothing, gloves, and head cover. This is NOT a beginner hike!