Sunny Days On Black Rock Mountain

Back on Veterans Day in November I drove two hours to Rabun Bald (85 miles) so I thought I would get the most out of my day and also stop at Black Mountain Rock State Park.

Monument for Black Rock Mountain State Park.

This wasn't my first visit to Georgia's Highest State Park, last year when I went to Asheville to bid Matt and Jeannie a fond farewell as they moved to Idaho, I stopped in Mountain City to take in the sights at the state park on my way home. Just like last year, on my latest visit, I stopped by the two overlooks; the Blue Ridge and Cowee. The best of these is the Blue Ridge it gives a fabulous northeast view including the mountain I visited earlier, Rabun Bald.

Blue Ridge Overlook...

...panorama.

Looking toward Mountain City & Rabun Gap...

...& Rabun Bald.

At the Overlook in 2013 with no beard...

...& in 2014 with beard.

While not as wide a panorama, the Cowee Overlook is very nice as it is also a northeast pointing view.

Cowee Overlook...

...& vista.

Another must see is a trip up to the visitor center. At 3,446 feet this is the highest visitor center in the Georgia park system. On my first visit the visitor center was open and a course it has a black bear, but when I returned a year late it was closed for some reason. Whether it was open or not it is worth the trip up just for the view from the Black Rock Overlook.

Visitor center...

...& its bear.

The visitor center from...

...the Black Rock Overlook.

Full overlook.

Panorama.

Clayton, GA from the overlook.

The visitor center from Clayton.

This large viewing area gives a panorama view of the town of Clayton below, it is a gorgeous view. On the way back down is the trailhead for the Tennessee Rock Trail. This is a two mile, green blazed, loop trail which crosses the summit of Black Rock Mountain before coming to the wonderful Tennessee Rock Overlook.

One of the trailheads for the James Edmonds and the one for the Tennessee Rock Trail.

Green blazed trail.

The sign points the way...

...up the trail.

The Tennessee Rock Trail passes over the summit of Black Rock Mtn.

At the summit in 2013.

Looking west-to-north this panorama gives views of Brasstown Bald and the Smoky Mountains. The trail is well maintained and has one really steep spot going west, but it does switchback.

The Tennessee Rock Overlook...

...& the view.

More of the wonderful vista.

The mountains...

...& the valley.

Brasstown Bald.

At the overlook.

Tennessee Rock Trail also crossed the continental divide.

Sun & steps.

Another area to visit is the Trading Post. This is where the main camping area is, but also is the trailhead for the short path to Ada-Hi Falls. This half-mile (one-way) trail could almost be called strenuous because it has 220 feet of elevation gain in a short space. You don't really appreciate this trail until the climb back out. On the way down one passes through rosebay rhododendron ending in an observation deck and the small cascade of Ada-Hi Falls.

The Trading Post...

...& the trailhead to Ada-Hi Falls.

Steps down to the falls.

I rated it here, but I read that the flow rate here could vary. I have even heard that it sometimes dries to a trickle. On the day I was there last November it had been rather cold and the waterfall was partiality frozen, which was cool.

Ada-Hi Falls the highest in Georgia...

...were also icy.

From the overlook Rabun Bald can be seen.

The last area of the park I will talk about is around Black Rock Lake. This 17 acre mountain lake is nestled under the mountain it shares a name. The trail around it is about a mile and is an easy, flat hike very reminiscent of the trails around Lake Trahlyta at Vogel State Park and Fort Mountain Lake.

Lake Trahlyta.

Ft. Mountain Lake.

Black Rock Lake.

 
Getting to the lake you must drive about two miles on a gravel road. There is a parking area for the lake trail. When I parked here last year I had no problems, but on my latest visit I noticed that the top of the road to the parking area looked a little sketchy. But a van was parked there so I though it should be fine. When I went to leave I almost got stuck in the loose sand. It took a running start to get the Green Hornet out, but my Ford Focus has the spirit of a Jeep and powered out.

The road & to the left the parking area were I almost got...

...the Green Hornet stuck!

The trailhead...

...& one of the many footbridges.

The beauty...

...of a mountain lake.

The reason for me to park here was not to enjoy this lovely lake, but to connect with the James Edmonds Backcountry Trail.

Up from the lake is another James Edmonds Trailhead.

The trail's orange blaze.

This path is an orange blazed trail that loops 7.2 miles around the park. It shares one of its trailheads with the Tennessee Rock Trail, but there is a place to jump on the west fork just above the lake parking area. The reason I was connecting with the trail here is to head out to Lookoff Mountain. The west fork travels about a mile to the trail that leads to the top of the mountain, camping areas and the spot I needed the overlook, which is about 1.5 miles one-way.

It says backcountry trail & there was a lot of...

...logs on the trail.

The trip up was steep.

The trail.

I learned two things about the James Edmonds Trail on this hike. The first is when they say backcountry trail they mean it. When I wrote about my trip on the Smith Creek Trail to Anna Ruby Falls I talked about the lack of maintenance, well the same can be said for this one. I don't know if I have every climbed over and low bridged so many trees across a trail before. There were a few spots that one had to watch ones step or you could be tumbling down a hill. The second was why most people head down this section, not up. Let me just say it is pretty steep, while not as much elevation gain as Rabun Bald (921 feet to 1,059 feet) it was a tougher hike up. Sometimes I think these trails are steeper on the way up than maybe they are, but not this one. On my way back, with the leaves covering the trail, I felt like I as skiing down most of the way back.

Sign points the way...

...up to...

...the junction to Lookoff Mountain.

The trail...

...up Lookoff Mtn.

Trail sign.

With all of that said, it was well worth the hike up. The Lookoff Overlook offers a wonderful view of the Wolffork Valley and Rabun Gap including the school. Places like this are the payoff to a strenuous trail. One day I need to do the whole James Edmonds, but trust me I will go east trail to west so this section is downhill.

The panorama...

...vista...

...on Lookoff Mountain.

Wolffork Valley...

Business &...

...Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School.

At the Lookoff Overlook.

Back down the...

...the James Edmonds Trail.

Some fall colors.

Trail heads out to the road.

Let me just finish by saying that Black Rock Mountain is one of my favorite state parks in Georgia it has great view, challenging trails, a great visitors center and wonderful lake. If you want to visit this wonderful place remember you have to wait until spring because it is closed from December to mid-March. But when it opens this jewel in Mountain City is well worth your time.

Leaving the park.

Foxfire Museum.

I am going to blog about this more in the future, but the Foxfire Museum is also on Black Rock Mountain. Yes, this museum is connected to those books of mountain knowledge that some will be familiar with. It features exhibits and a gift shop, where you can by said books.