Who is ready for a one night backpacking trip down the Conasauga River?

Hike into the heart of the Cohutta Wilderness on this 12.1-mile shuttle hike along the Conasauga River Trail. This hike scours the river’s most scenic stretches, passing SUV-sized boulders of limestone and granite, towering hemlock and oak trees, beaver ponds, and an unending succession of waterfalls and trout pools.

We will tackle this hike in mid June while the gorge and the river will keep the day time temperatures cool and perhaps even a bit chilly at night! On Saturday we'll hike about 6-7 miles down to the Brey Field area or slightly beyond where we will find a campsite and enjoy a night deep in the woods. On Sunday we'll break camp and hike another six miles or so the rest of the distance to our cars at the Lake Murry trailhead. All but the last 1.2 miles will be downhill. This trail has 38 river crossings so be prepared with shoes that you don't mind being wet. Also - I'd say trekking poles or a hiking staff is a must. River rocks are very slippery and getting your gear soaked in a fall is something you want to avoid at all costs!

This hike will require a car shuttle. We will drop our cars off at the western end of the trip at the Lake Murray trailhead. Then squeeze into a couple of cars to drive up to Betty Gap and hike from there. Those of you who went on the day hike from Lake Conasauga have already done nearly half of this trail.

Here is a thorough trail description.

CHANGES! PLEASE READ

After looking at the map a little closer I have decided to change the meet up point because it will mean a considerably shorter drive on gravel to get to the western trailhead than the first plan. Currently the plan is to meet up at the convenience store the intersection of US 411 and GA 2 at the village of Cisco GA. From there we will drive to the trailhead and then pack into a couple of cars for the drive to Betty Gap where the southeastern trailhead is located. The shuttle ride is about 13 miles.

I will have my trailer with me so we will be able to pack everyone's gear and packs into it for the shuttle ride. I can take four additional people and one more dog with me. If we end up with 10 people going I'm hoping we can all squeeze into just two cars. That will make the trip back to get those cars on Sunday alot easier.

I have not created a carpool point for this ride but if anyone is interested I can add one in.

Some Great pictures of where we will be going here!

Looking forward to it!