Day Hikes: Sawnee Mountain

Since I went on a hike Wednesday to Sawnee Mountain in Cumming, GA, I thought it would be a good time to start a new feature I am doing on my blog...day hikes. These will be day hikes I have done and just some thoughts and photos about them. Some will be day hikes while others will be called AT Day Hikes which, it is easy to figure out, are about day hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT).

So lets get started, first it should be said that the Sawnee Mountain Preserve is on a part of Sawnee Mountain, but the actually summit is not in the park. The Preserve is administered by Forsyth County and, this was my fifth day hike there. I first learned about the park from my wife Deb. She told me that a school colleague of hers said it was a good place for day hiking. So, our first trip was back in March and I will have to say that it made for a good day on the trail. That same month, I made a second solo trip to the park. Deb and I would return for a hike in mid-April just as everything started to bloom. It would be seven months before I set foot in the park, this time in early November for the fall colors.
Compared to Buffalo Mountain, which is a Johnson City, TN park, it is not quite as rugged, but the trails are a lot more challenging than say the Alpharetta Greenway. 

Tribble Gap Entrance.

The park has two entrances; on our first trip to Sawnee we used the Tribble Gap Road trailhead. 

The parking here can be best described as ample. There are also bathrooms, picnic pavilion & a playground. Another feature at the Tripple Gap entrance is the small amphitheater used mostly in the summer. The second access point is the main entrance, which is located off Spot Road. Here is where you find the park’s visitors center. Besides the obligatory bathrooms there is also an information desk, exhibits and classrooms for visiting children. There are programs for school kids and scout troops offered by the park. In the back area of the center there is a nice pond with a mini-waterfall. Tucked back behind the visitors’ center off the Laurel Trail Spur is an interative area for kids with nature activates for kids of all ages. Also at the visitors center is what is called the Learning Platform and Tree Canopy Walk. Finally, I would be re-missed if I didn’t mention the wooden statue of the parks namesake, Sawnee.

Visitors Center & Sawnee.

A course the main draw for myself and countless others is the hiking. There are four official trails and two unofficial. All of these are dirt trails and can be rocky in a number of places, but well maintained. I already mentioned the Laurel Trail Spur, which is .17 mile trail that leads from the visitor center to the Indian Seats Trail. Off the blue blazed Laurel Trail one finds the tree house and the short “unofficial” Fairy Trail. 

The tree house.

The Eaglet Trail is a red blazed nature trail which starts at the Tribble Gap entrance and winds .25 miles before connecting with the Indian Seats Trail. The third trail, the Yucca Trail, is a 0.3 mile Indian Seats bypass trail. It is marked with yellow blaze. There is also a fourth trail which measures about 0.2 miles, and is a bypass trail back to the Tribble Gap Parking lot. All the above trails can be described as easy.

The Fairy Trail.

Eaglet Trail.

Fall colors on the Yucca Trail.

November on the Indian Seats Trail.

The final trail is the park’s main path and that is the Indian Seats Trail. Measuring 3.5 miles, this green blazed loop trail snakes around the park and can be described as moderate in difficulty. From the visitors center the trail has an elevation gain of around 500 feet, which is surprisingly steep, add to that a number of rocky areas and the path is a welcomed challenge.

The Indian Seats Trail has a number of highlights. A point of interest is the site of the old Hampton and Herman Mines. 

Hampton & Herman Mine site.

As some know but most don’t Georgia saw America’s second “Gold Rush” in 1828, still it was until the late 1880’s that mining came to Sawnee Mountain. Also found on the trail are two old mine shafts, which area now gated, but I think they are cool (Deb not as much so). 

South mine shaft.

North mine shaft.

However, the highlight of the trail is the place that gives the path its name, the Indian Seats. They are located on the eastern ridge of Sawnee Mountain. Formed by erosion it looks like three seats. 

Indian Seats information sign.

The Indian Seats.

It is believed that Native Americans used the site for ceremonial purposes, which gives the place its name. Besides the seats themselves, there is are number of rock outcrops and an observation deck. All of these areas afford amazing vistas of the surrounding area, but the view of the North Georgia Mountains is outstanding.

Northwest vista in April from the Indian Seats.

Northeastern vista in November from the Indian Seats.

The observation deck offers a panorama display of the mountains of North Georgia. 

From the Indian Seats Observation Deck.

The funny thing about the Indian Seats is it seems higher up than it really is, but it still is wonderful view. It is still high enough to be a popular place for rock climbing, but remember to get a permit. Without one the fine is in the $200 range.

Looking up to the Indian Seats. The observation deck is in the middle & the seats are to the right.

I would be re-missed if I didn’t mention a few other rules. There is no camping or alcoholic beverages permitted and you can’t hunt there either. Maybe the most important rule is no pets allowed in the park.

With that said, that is about it. Still, if you want a park with challenging trails, nice amenities, and points of interest and best of all great vistas Sawnee makes a great place for a day hike. It doesn’t matter if you area a novice or an experienced hiker it is a great place to spend the day. The park is open daily from 8am to dark. For more information or directions call 770-87-781-2217 or visit the park’s website: http://www.sawneemountain.org.

1-31-2014 Update:
Today I decided to drive-up to the summit of Sawnee Mountain. As I mentioned before the Sawnee Mountain Preserve and the Indian Seats are part of Sawnee Mountain, but separate from the summit.

Sawnee Mtn. Summit from visitors center.

You can see the summit area from the visitor center. I heard today that a trail is planned from the Tribble Gap Parking Lot up to the summit, it is 1.32 miles, but the trail most likely will be longer. The lady at the visitor center said it should be open this time next year.

One of the communication towers.

I was not sure if I should have attempted the trip today because of the snow we had Tuesday that paralyzed the Metro Atlanta area. To my surprise it was clear all the way up with just one slushy spot. So, I went right and parked under the bank of communication towers and there were at least five. Anyway, the summit was about .10 of mile straight ahead on Barker Road. 

The Barker House.

At the summit are two structures. The first looks like a giant spaceship, but it is known as the Barker House. Built by the late architect Jim Baker it was completed in 1979. It is now know owned by Forsyth County. Back in 2005 there was a plan to redevelop the Barker House; this was called Garden in the Sky. Since it is almost

a decade later I don't know if this plan will ever go forward. The second structure is the old fire

Old fire tower.

tower, which from where I was looked in good shape. I didn't try to scale it because there were a couple of no trespassing signs and I thought it was best not to go up. Anyway it looked to be locked.

However, seeing these two structures and since there are plans to bring a trail up here, linking it to the Preserve I think it would be a good idea to make the Barker House a visitor center and open the old fire tower. From the pictures on the internet I found the Barker House has a circular balcony which visitors could use and for those who wanted a bird's eye view there is the old fire tower.

Dunwoody.

I still had a hike to do at the Sawnee Mountain Preserve, so it was back down the mountain. On the decent I did get a cool vista of the Chess Piece Buildings in Dunwoody. Oh, and I had a nice hike, there was still snow and it was beautiful.

Snow on the trail.

Snow at Sawnee Mountain Preserve.