Mt. Oglethorpe Is Now An Eagle's Rest

It has been over a half-century (56 years in fact) since hiking trails and specifically the Appalachian Trail (AT) rolled around Mount Oglethorpe. Well, the AT is long gone but the eagle has found a place to rest. So, since I was headed to Mount Oglethorpe for the Fall Equinox festivities on the mountain Tuesday, I thought a little hiking on the new trails of Eagle's Rest Park were in order.

The park mascot.

This is my second trip to Mount Oglethorpe; my first trip there was back in March (chronicled here) after I had heard that Ken Rice and his wife Billie Ann wanted to open the 107 acres to the public as a park called Eagle’s Rest. The park was dedication on December 21, 2013 and as I mentioned before I heard different conflicting reports on when it was opening so I went up to check it out. Anyway, the park “officially” opened in April right after my visit.

Ken Rice speaks.

The entrance to the park.

The gate in March was closed...

...but it is now is open.

Eagles Rest has two paths, the first one to be completed is the half-mile Eagle’s Rest Trail which circles the top of the mountain. I actually started this hike not from one of the two trail heads, but from the summit of the mountain. It is here that the old Oglethorpe Monument, which now stands in downtown Jasper, once stood along with the building that use to be the old AT shelter and the geological marker that is the mountains summit. Also there is an eagle sculpture down from the summit where a sun dial will be built.

This is close to the spot...

...where the old Oglethorpe Monument stood.

It is said this building sets on the spot of the old AT shelter?

U.S. Geological Marker...

...& I.

Anyway, the trail itself can be classified as easy. It is relative flat but one of the coolest parts is it is white blazed, just like the AT that once was home on the mountain. I went east to start with and the first thing of note I came across was the new Western Observation Deck and Classroom. It is a two deck setup with the lower deck being a view platform and stage, while the upper half has bench seating. It is really nice, the only thing I could say is, and this is hard for me because I love trees, but they maybe need to thin out the trees to improve the view.

The 1st trail head.

The 2nd trail head.

The white blaze returns to Oglethorpe.

The Eagle's Rest Trail.

I went East to start & then went West.

The new Western Observation Deck & Class

The trees & the lower deck ...

...& the upper half.

This is not as much of a problem on the Eastern Observation Deck. On my first trip to the mountain this was the highlight and where I would visit twice on this day. As I mentioned before, it has been refurbished and except for a spot with a tree, which blocks the view of Sawnee Mountain, offers a great vista where Big Canoe can be seen and on a clear day also the North Georgia Mountains, Stone Mountain and Atlanta.

Path to...

...the Eastern Observation Deck.

Panorama from the East Deck.

Looking East toward Big Canoe...

...Lake Petit...

...& Lake Sconti.

The North Georgia Mountains.

Stone Mountain.

Atlanta.

Finally a shot of Sawnee Mountain.

Another highlight on the Eagle’s Rest Trail is the stone sculpture. It is 80 feet by 27 feet and is on the mountains south face. Visitors are encouraged to drop in rocks to help fill in the sculpture, which I did. It is right down from here that is the one of the starting points for the Mount Oglethorpe Trail. This loop trail is longer, about two miles, and from the description on the mountain’s website is for serious hikers.

 

Stairs to the...

...Stone Eagle Sculpture.

Now headed on the two-mile Mt. Oglethorpe Trail.

While the Boy Scouts have help build a number of things at the summit, it is the group called the Mountain Stewards that have done most of the trail work. They are a private group which started in 2003 to restore some of the old trails in the southern Appalachian Mountains. I will say they have done some good work. The trail is wide and well blazed with yellow markers. The only complaint I have is the trail is basically straight and might have been better if it was switchback some more. Besides helping with the climb switch backing also keeps the trail from eroding.

The Mt. Oglethorpe Trail...

The picnic area...

...at Buck Skull Springs.

Mushroom.

Bumble Bee & a wild flower.

The junction with the CCC road.

After a somewhat steep trip down and right before the halfway point there is a side trail to a picnic area near Buck Skull Springs. As I mentioned you are about halfway home when you reach the junction with the old CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) road where you go right and follow the yellow blaze. This part on the old road is about a half-mile and uphill. This is a typical road bed hike because it is steep and wide. The final three-tenths of a mile leave the CCC road and heads up a nice wide path up the mountain. Just off the trail here among plenty of wildflowers the Mountain Stewards have put in another picnic area. This was my favorite part of the Mount Oglethorpe Trail. Finally the pathcomes back up to meet the Eagle’s Rest Trail at the second trail head that leads to the Western Observation Deck.

Headed up the CCC road that is part of the...

...yellow blazed Mt. Oglethorpe Trail.

This club is a throwback to the mountains old name, Grassy Knob.

Tail leaved the CCC road.

Picnic area right off the trail.

The trail &...

...some early fall foliage.

With the two trails (and two trips around the Eagle’s Rest Trail) I hiked three miles, which is pretty good. I will say the elevation (about 600 feet) and steepness of the trail make it tougher than say Sawnee Mountain. Future work on the park will include the construction of the sun dial, a privy and two more observation decks. Also improvement will be made to parking at the park.

 

The privy under construction.

Future site of the sun dial.

The parking area will be improved.

The Bent Tree Strings finish the day.

As I have already blogged about I finished the day with some down home music which made for a really good afternoon. So, if you’re an AT aficionado , like me, or just want a nice day in the mountains then a trip to Eagle’s Rest on Mount Oglethorpe might fit the bill. I couldn't think of too many places better to see in the Fall Equinox.

Trail Rating My Take:

For Difficulty – 3 ½  Stars

For Trail Conditions – 3  Stars

For Views – 3 ½  Stars

For Solitude – 2 Stars

Overall – I gave my opinion above except on solitude. Since there was a program on the park this day there were a lot of people, but when I got there the park was empty.

Pete’s Take :

For Difficulty – 3 Rabbits Paws

For Trail Conditions – 4 Rabbits Paws

For Views – 2 Rabbits Paws

For Solitude – 2 Rabbits Paws

Overall – I like Mt. Oglethorpe the Mountain Stewards have done a good job. The big lummox whined that the trail was too steep and should switch back more...what a wuss! The steeper and straighter the trail the better. If you are going to build a view deck then do something about the trees. Like the lummox said there was a lot of people because of the concert. Oh, and no kids now that was great!