Sunday, November 7, 2004
I hiked the Wagon Train trail to the top of Brasstown Bald on 11/06/04 and the Arkaquah trail a year earlier and thought a comparison might be useful to some. Both hikes were done on Saturdays. The Wagon Wheel is an old, slightly overgrown, road, and a very straight-forward, long hike. The slope is never too steep. In fact the steepest part is the paved half-mile section just before the summit. One surprise was that the trail was very wet. I don't think that there was an uncommon amount of rain in recent days, so I'm guessing this is normal. Some trail guides point out that this side of the mountain is a “cloud forest.” While there were no clouds on this day, the environment should be expected to be wetter than other areas. Streams cross the trail/road in at least a dozen spots. Due to the way in which this road is carved into the hillside, the water doesn't drain well as streams cross the road. It seems that a large amount of water is absorbed as the stream flows over the road, which results in bog-like sections near these streams, which can be 40-50 yards long. Sometimes it was hard to keep my feet dry and the trail condition slowed my progress. There are some very nice views along the way. After about a mile and a half from the trailhead the mountain top comes into view and reappears several times during the hike. I didn't see a single person on the hike until I reached the paved section. The trailhead is at Young Harris College. Round trip is approximately 13.6 miles and took 3 hours 40 minutes. Arkaquah was dry and a trail, rather than a trail/road. The first 1.5-2 miles gains about 2000 feet and includes a sections with many switch-backs. This is only of moderate difficulty to the fit, however. After the first section the trail follows the top of a ridge most of the rest of the way. There are a few short sections that are a little steep -- just enough to get your attention. Once on the ridge, there are some short sections with good views into the Young Harris Valley and North Caroline beyond. This trail is slight shorter than the Wagon Wheel, with a little greater elevation gain, much dryer, and perhaps more interesting. There were several people on this trail. GJP Athens, GA November 7, 2004
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Our party of four hiked the Wagon Train Trail on 10-26-04. This trail is much easier than the other trail up Brasstown Bald (Araquak? oops spelling). Conditions were near perfect, beautiful clear sky, 65 degrees. We hiked from Young Harris up to Brasstown Bald. Although all the leaves had not fallen, we still had several spectacular views. There were several spots where water was standing on the trail - I suppose due to recent rains. We saw three grouse, two of which just calmly walked away. It was a great day.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
We hiked the trail Saturday the hike from the national forest boundary to Young Harris College was more difficult than the Wagon Train Trail. But the scenery was worth the hike. Would do it again
Monday, January 6, 2003
Hiked this trail on Saturday, 01-04-03.Started at 9:10 am at Young Harris College, temperature at around 26 degrees. The first mile is mid- to high-moderate in difficulty. At around 1 mile, reached the "official" start of the trail, the Brasstown Bald Wilderness sign. Apparently, at one time, one could drive the road up to the Wilderness boundary. It's now gated, and rightly so. The trail (remnants of an old road) winds around the west side of the mountain range as it heads south and up towards Brasstown Bald. About halfway up, started to encounter a real "winter" scene - frost all over the trees, vegetation, and icecycles on rocks where water was flowing. It was really beautiful. Took alot of pictures during the day using my digital camera. Ascent was gradual. About 30 min. after the wilderness sign, had my first view of the tower on Brasstown - still a long ways off. Temperature wasn't too bad since the sun was out, blue skies. Not too far from the top, there are a couple of openings giving really good views to the north and west - especially nice with the sunny, blue skies and frost on the higher peaks. Got alot colder as I approached the top. The trail ends at the paved approach trail to the summit from the parking lot on Brasstown. Walked up this trail to the summit, icy and very slick in places. Encountered 10 - 20 people on top, most had walked the road up. Ate lunch on the south side of the visitor center, in the sun and out of the wind. Took some pictures on top of the visitor center, wind was very cold. Trip back down was easy. I estimate the trip at 6.8 to 7 miles, one-way. A good, but not too hard, workout if you hike from the college south. Ended the hike at 4:00 pm, around 7 hours for the day. This is a good hike in all seasons.
Monday, July 8, 2002
July 7Th 2002. A very nice way to get to the top of Brasstown Bald.Becoming overgrown in some areas. I will hike this trail again in the spring or fall to see the nice views along the way.
Friday, November 2, 2001
I hiked this on Oct.29, 2001 starting from Young Harris to Brasstown Bald and back. I'm not an avid hiker or athletic so the up hill climb was a lot of work. The last half-mile is a paved path from the parking lot at Brasstown Bald to the actual top. That was the worse. The return leg was easier, but by the time we finished, our toes really hurt from walking the constant downhill grade. My maps showed this as about 6.8 miles each way. I took 3.5 hours up and 2.5 hours down. The trail was easy to follow but leaves on the rocks made it a bit slick and unstable at times. The trail is not marked so we asked a student at the College where the start was located. There was only one area that we did not know which way to turn. About 3/4mil from the start the road makes a sharp "U": turn to the left. This is right at the edge of the Wilderness Area. At this point bear off to the right, going off the dirt road and follow the narrow trail. Great views for almost the entire length as you follow just below the ridgeline crest.
Friday, August 10, 2001
Hiked the trail from Brasstown Bald to Young Harris on 8/10/2001. Lots of wildflowers and black berries - likely due to the regular rains we've had this summer. Looked like it had rained the night before, but the trail was not overly wet, just a little standing (running) water in a couple of places. There are just a few slight uphills when walking south to north. There's a lot erosion taking place in the steep areas and along the last mile or so before reaching the college. We saw one box turtle and one turkey along the way. Pretty cool day for this time of year. Tim Homan book says that trail is 5.6 miles long, but I believe that it is closer to the 7.0 as stated on this web site. Interestingly, the sign at Brasstown Bald indicates that the trail was constructed in the 1950's - Homan says it was started in the late 1930's. Wonder which is correct?
Tuesday, April 10, 2001
We just hiked this trail for the second time yesterday..........it is a real easy hike, going down anyhow, and the scenery was beautiful. Someday we will hike it going from Young Harris up to Brasstown Bald once I get in better shape. It took us about three hours going from Brasstown Bald to Young Harris with just a couple short stops along the way.........Enjoy this is beautiful country.
Monday, April 9, 2001
This was a great hike. The scenery was beautiful. Saw only a few birds and squirrells. The directions are wrong on this trail. This web site says "From Blairsville take US 129 south. At Ga. 180 turn right and go 8 miles to the entrance of Brasstown Bald." You should turn left and go 8 miles. New to the area, these directions got me lost.
Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Our Boy Scout Troop hiked this trail from Brasstown Bald Down to Young Harris. This is a very rocky trail. The views are outstanding. Wild blueberries, mountain laurel, and beautiful forrest are everywhere. We loved the trail for it's beautiful scenery.
| Jim Swindler, Scoutmaster, Troop 576, Lawrenceville |
Ted Brooke
Trail Length:7.0 miles
Location: Towns Union County
Features:easy, family, scenic.
Last hiked:08/15/1998 | Type of trail:Point-to-point
Our rating:Easy
Your rating:Moderate (32)
Date added:01/01/1996
Trail Usage:
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