Georgia Backcountry Camping Bear Claw Trail

Bear Claw Trail Location
Mt. Vogel State Park, GA
GPS Coordinates:

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Bear Claw Trail Pictures

Bear Claw Trail Review

Georgia Backpacking Black Balsm Knob Art Loeb Trail

Black Balsm Knob Art Loeb Trail Location

GPS Coordinates:


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Black Balsm Knob Art Loeb Trail Pictures

First Pictures Shows an Ominous Sky

Beautiful Blue Hue

Spring Flowers in Bloom

A Creepily Pretty Shot of Some Dead Trees 

To Give You Some Perspective

A Horse!
(The owner came up further behind)

Our Campsite 

Just Chilling

Sunset

Grainy but Deep

Sunrise (5:30 A.M.)

My Favorite

And Another

Pink Lit Sky

Shining Rock Wilderness 

Black Balsm Knob Art Loeb Trail Review

Type:  Figure 8 (or Loop)
Length: 9 Miles (in-and-out)
Cost:  Free
Ranger Station:  Located Nearby; No check-in required
Fires:  Not allowed on trails
Availability:  February - December
Difficulty:  Moderate - Difficult
Trail Conditions:  Worn down, rocky, high rims, 
Water:  No water source, pack enough for trip

Features:  Blueberries (Spring), Panoramic Views, 

First off, the trail is not located in Georgia.  From where I live in Northeast Atlanta, it was around a 4 and 1/2 hour drive and probably the most rewarding hike I have ever been on.  Words cannot describe the views that you will come to love on this trail so be sure to bring a camera.  The views reminded me of those from the land Rohan out of Lord of the Rings. The views come with a price of bearing the rough terrain, but are worth it for any backpacker who likes a solid hike.

Specific Road Directions to Come

After a few minutes of climbing up through some spruce groves, you will immediately see the views this trail has to offer.   You will also notice that trail is very worn down, deep, and usually muddy.  This is especially true on top of the balds or even after a rain from days before.

We continued on from bald to bald.  At times, some of the bushes will tower over you and the feeling of being in some sort of corn maze comes to mind.  The actual trail has steep drops and climbs so watching your step is a must.  The rims of these cliffs in the trail were taller than me at times and I am 6'5" to give you an idea as to what you will be through at times.

Eventually it opened up and you could see the epic magnitude of the mountains. The sheer scale is a wonder to those who had never seen panoramic views in person, like myself, at the time. You can see Mount Pisgah, Sam Knob, Cold Mountain, and more. There are also swaths of dead, white trees.  After pressing on and watching your step around the cliffs and rocks, you will eventually come out to Ivestor Gap in a grassy cove opening.  It was hear we also found rope buried in the ground and what appeared to be railroad tracks.  Our suspicions were confirmed when a fellow hiker told us the reason the area was so open and without trees was because of the logging that went on around the time of the civil war!

Fortunately for us, my friend had been on this trail before.  He pointed out the trail the right and going up was the Art Loeb Trail.  The one on the left was the Ivestor Gap Trail.  We took the Art Loeb Trail up to  the Grassy Cove Summit.  This is also where the "Shining Rock Wilderness" sign can be seen in my pictures for a marker.

You will come across a small wooded area.  We thought we saw a wild horse in this area coming up on the trail that just turned out to be 2 horses without a rider and their owner following behind.  After that, we ran into a forest range who warned us of a bear in the area that was not afraid to snoop around humans for a snack.  He reminded us of the proper procedures to follow and we thanked him for his time and effort for what he did.

The path then leads to another, but smaller grassy cove type area where we saw people having a picnic.  The trail is not clearly marked here and I will update with a picture and better description after talking with my friend.

The climb to the top is not far now, maybe another 20 or 30 minutes or a quarter mile.  We got there right around 4:00 P.M. or so and the views were gorgeous.  We had checked the weather the night before because we intended on spending the night up there.  After setting up camp, we were able to really enjoy the sanctity and peace of being up there alone with nothing but pretty skies.

The area we camped was a nice grassy patch around 6200 feet up.  As sunset approached, we were disappointed to see clouds rolling in because of the possibility of rain and the clouding of a starry night sky.  We did not see a great amount of stars but my friend did go back, had a clear night, and said it was the most stars he had ever seen with even a faint hue of our actual Milky Way.

I will clarify that fires are not allowed which we did not know this at the time.  We got away with making one but it was pretty difficult finding good firewood that high up.  Then the weather, especially the wind, really picked up throughout the night.  The wind was so bad at times that the tent vibrated to the point where my friend and I convinced a bear had growled outside our tent.  Fortunately, we did not have any encounters with the bear and we had also tied our food away and up a tree.

After what felt like a few minutes of sleep, I finally couldn't go back to bed.  That did not matter because I was able to watch the sunrise and take some of the best photos to date.  I will let you look for yourself but they were just mesmerizing 

Unfortunately, the weather got the best of us and we had to leave at 7:00 A.M. because of wind and rain.
The weather did bring in some low clouds which floated around the tops of the balds and all around us.  We doubled back the way we came before the rain got to the point where I was very glad we had the opportunity to leave but takes those pictures at the same time.

Overall, the most rewarding trail I have been on.  A tough trail to say the least but each view is better than the next.  Try and catch it during Spring when the blueberries and flowers are in bloom.

Georgia Backpacking Raven Cliff Falls Trail

Raven Cliff Trails Location

GPS Coordinates: 34.709968, -83.787836

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Raven Cliff Pictures

Cool Shot from Atop the 400 ft Cliff

Magnolia's in Bloom

Side shot of Cliffs

Me

B-E-A-uftiful

Crazy View off the Cliff

The Roots Used in the Climb

Inside Raven Cliff Falls

Lookout on the way to Raven Cliff Falls

Raven Cliff Falls Review

Type:       In-and-Out

Length:    2.5 miles In 

Cost:        Free

Type: In and Out
Length: 5 Miles (in-and-out)
Cost: Free
Ranger Station: Located 15 miles away in Vogel State Park, no check-in required
Fires:  Allowed
Availability:  February - December
Difficulty:  Easy
Trail Conditions: Good trails, can be muddy at times
Water:  Plenty, Dodd Creek flows next to trail
Features:  Waterfalls, steams, rock cliffs

A beautiful trail for those looking for a day hike or a good overnight camp.  The trail is an in-and-out trail so there is no worry about getting lost.  The best part of this trail is reaching the end, where you can actually climb up and see how far up the peak you can get.  After a few times of camping on this trail, I found the best way to set up camp about midway through and then go and enjoy the falls without having to carry all of your gear.  The climb up the gnarled root system is fun and surprisingly easy.  The falls are also a sight to see, especially since you can get right under them or even on top of them!

Every time I have been, I have stayed on the opposite side of the river about 3/4 of the way in.  Its a weary walk across a slippery log, but the camp spot is well worth it.  There is a small waterfall near where you can set up your tents which is ever so soothing to fall asleep to.  Hammocks can be used around here and there is a well established fire pit with so called rock-chairs.  

Bears have been sighted on the trail so anyone camping should be cautious and follow the recommended procedures, such as tying your food up in a tree away from camp.  For those who seek a thrill, climb to the top of the cliff at night to see a starry lit sky but be sure to use headlamps so you can use your hands to climb.

I recommend this trail to people who just started backpacking, those looking for a solid day hike, or those who just want a beautiful view.