Coosa Backcountry Trail is a 12.8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Blairsville, Georgia that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, camping, and backpacking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Dogs on leash
Backpacking
Camping
Hiking
Running
Forest
Lake
River
Views
Wild flowers
Wildlife
Blowdown
Rocky
Nice loop with significant elevation gain going through the Chattahoochee National Forest and Blood Mountain Wilderness.
Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, P.O. Box 1776, 285 Peachtree Center Avenue NE , Atlanta, GA, 30301, Phone: 404-656-3590
Directions from Blairsville: Take US 19 and 129 south from Blairsville for 10 miles. Turn right into Vogel State Park (Entrance fee).
Thu Jul 09 2020Like most people have said, there are not many views but if you're looking for a hard hike with lots of wildflowers on top of the mountains it's a winner. There are spots where the trail markers could be better.
Fri Jun 12 2020A couple of things that others have said were borne out on my trip today: There are basically no great views while the trees are leafed out; and my Fitbit logged a lot more than the official mileage. (I think it's largely due to shortening my stride on steeper pitches, especially late in the day.) I hit the trail at 9:09am and got back at 4:48pm. I took the counter-clockwise route, so it wasn't too tough at the start. Things got serious when I hit the climb up from West Wolf Creek Road. Took lunch about noon at the Grassy Knob maintenance road crossing. More climbing from there to the peak near Coosa Bald, then a steep descent back down to the Highway 180 crossing. The next mille is brutal. Seven hundred feet of climbing in about one mile distance. The last three miles are a descent, quite steep in places. There are some blowdowns, not too many and none that cause any significant problem. Undergrowth adjacent to the trail is quite heavy in spots, but never so much that I lost the trail. Note: Trail markers are absent from a number of spots where they'd be useful. I missed a turn at the primitive camp sites where you re-enter the park and wound up finishing the day walking through the camping area.
Sun Jun 07 2020That first mountain is a doozy
Fri May 22 2020Fantastic trail. I recommend this for the experienced hiker. Make sure to take plenty of water and food as this is at least a 6 hour adventure at a strong pace. Amazing views and areas. Start early (8:30am or 9am ish) and you can do it in one day if you in decent shape. 4000 feet of elevation change in no joke!
Sat Mar 28 2020Bailed about five miles in because I was running out of sunlight. Coming back to do it again one day soon!
Sun Mar 22 2020This is a long loop (15 miles from parking lot) with plenty of climbing. We did it clockwise and didn’t encounter an extended distance of steep descending. Some sections of climbing were steep. The ground is predominantly soft with a low percentage (20%) of rocky sections or roots. There are no unobstructed views, even from the tops, but plenty of spectacular visibility without leaves (which we experienced March 21). I imagine, with leaves on trees, the views would be minimal. On a Saturday, we spent a lot of time hearing the incessant motorcycles revving thru the curvy roads. Some sections were quiet. Beautiful hike! To get 5 stars it needs more overlooks, more waterfalls, and less motor noise. It’s easy access to Atl and has swimming in Vogel, which we did as a freezing therapy for rejuvenation :-)
Fri Mar 20 2020Had to stop recording to save battery, but did 17.5 miles total. Added a little extra by camping on top of blood mt. Highly recommend this hike and adding blood mountain!
Mon Feb 10 2020Posted everywhere as 12.7 mi, actual distance is 14.5+ miles if you start/end at trailhead in Vogel SP, and the elevation gain is 4,000. Beautiful in Feb with 4" snow, and some very nice views.
Wed Jan 01 2020Challenging day hike, but nothing real scenic on this loop other than a couple small waterfalls. No overlook areas. Glad it was winter, or all views would have been blocked by the foliage.
Sat Dec 28 2019Trail was easy to follow. I completed trail at 14.7 miles. I started tracking from the parking lot. There is plenty of water on the trail so I would be comfortable with 1L of water if your doing it as a day hike. Over night I would carry 2L. Seemed like plenty of places to camp at . It took me about 6 hours to complete. If you want to do it as day hike I would recommend starting in morning.
Sun Dec 08 2019I didn’t see exactly what I finished at, but it was considerably more than 12 miles. I went round counterclockwise and was at 9.3 miles when I reached Wolf Pen Gap Road. The trail diverges from the initial recording at several locations, presumably due to trail rerouting, so be prepared for the “Off Route” alarm to sound on a semi regular basis. I started shortly after 9:30 am and finished at the last dregs of civil twilight. I had my headlamp, but didn’t need it, but it was a near thing. I had tried this trail a couple of weeks ago and elected to bail on it after a late start, it’s amazing what you can do when you actually get up when the alarm goes off. It is a beast of a trail. On the plus side, I have discovered the idiot motorcyclists with their exhausts tuned for maximum volume are apparently sleeping off their hangovers early on a Sunday morning. The trail is much more visible now than it was two weeks ago as there has evidently been enough traffic on it to wear the leaves down some.
Sat Nov 16 2019Hiked and camped one night on this trail in November. Without leaves the views from the ridges are spectacular except you have to watch every step. The loose rocks on the trail are hidden by the fallen leaves so you really have to stay focused on foot placement. If camping go clockwise so you’ll have more water available at camp.
Sat Nov 02 2019Nice hike with a decent elevation gain at the beginning (assuming you start on the trail and not the road). There was one camp site on the way. The big downfall of this trail was that there wasn’t an overlook.
Sat Oct 26 2019Sun Oct 13 2019Sat Oct 12 2019A good trail and a lot of fun. I only give 3 out 5 as there are much prettier trails in the area. Length: Great! I completed this trail in one day. It took me 7 hours and I was not in a big hurry. Great workout. I went clockwise based on the other reviews. Intensity: Great! Good ups and downs. However, going clockwise, I felt like I was going downhill forever. I welcomed the "ups". Condition: Mediocre. This trail is very thick at higher elevations. I wouldnt recommend this trail in midsummer. One may have challenges locating the trails as vegetation encroaches the trails. At lower elevations, very easy to follow. Water: There is not a lot of sources water on this trail especially clockwise. Make certain to bring your own. My trip had further challenges b/c of dry conditions any possible sources were completely dried up. Views: None. The leaves are still on the trees. No good views at all. I am sure there good views during the winter when foliage is down. This trail is a fun trip.
Sat Aug 31 2019Nice loop. Easier to do counterclockwise (larger height changes early), and note that the elevation profile below the map is shown in the clockwise direction. Not many views. If you want views include Blood Mountain to and fro by the Duncan Ridge Trail- which also adds a couple of hours. Lots of camping spots on the trail .. a couple with streams nearby.
Sat Aug 31 2019We started clockwise to get the big inclines out of the way first. All the warnings say you can't get this done in a day, but if you start early you can. There were quite a few steep inclines and descents. Some rocky areas. Wear pants even on hot days as there are quite a few overgrown areas. Would definitely recommend trekking poles. No vistas in the summer, but the boulders and fields are beautiful (full of flowers). We saw ~6 other people on the hike, so not too many, but enough to make you feel like you're on the right track. Blazes start off green and then are blue when you meet the Duncan trail. There were a few confusing areas. When going clockwise, you'll come across a big boulder blocking the path as you ascend from a stream--go right, not left. Then, still going clockwise, when you cross a new bridge with built-up gravel at a bigger camping spot, go left (you're about ~3.5 miles from Vogel at that point). Great fitness hike. Pack a lunch, yummy snacks, and plenty of water (my husband brought 2 liters and ran out with ~3 miles left--luckily the rest of us had more in other packs). There are a few streams along the way if you have purification equip/drops. You'll encounter forest roads and some moderately trafficked roads along the way that you'll need to cross. Overall, took us less than 7 hours (great summer day hike).
Sat Jul 13 2019Mon Jul 01 2019Counterclockwise: The first and last quarters of the trail were in good shape - open and maintained. The backcountry section was overgrown making it hard to see the trail. It also had thorny weeds which would scratch your arms and legs making for an unpleasant experience. We saw bear poop (2-3) in the back section but no bears, possibly because we used a bear bell. Certainly made me feel more confident that we would not surprise them. Looking forward to running this in the fall/winter.
Sat Jun 22 2019I arrived from ATL after work on the last day of Spring 2019 and trekked counter clockwise until I ran out of daylight. I found a sweet campsite near the trail and enjoyed my solitude with the sunset. On the first day of summer I climbed and climbed. After sitting on my butt at work all week I needed two things: solitude and a good butt-kicker of a hike. The Coosa Backcountry Trail provided both as I never saw another human for my 18 hours in the woods. #valuesolitude. #lovethewoods #thewildernesscoach #pushyourselftothemax #lovenorthgeorgia
Tue Apr 02 2019Great trail! Make sure when you check in to ask about the trail marker colors. They might be confusing otherwise. Also... MUCH more difficult than I expected. Be ready for some tough spots.
Wed Mar 13 2019Did this as a overnight backpacking trip with The pup starting counter clockwise from Vogel State Park and camping about 5 1/2 miles in near calf stomp pass. Definitely a strenuous hike with a lot of persistent uphill climbs, especially after crossing wolf pen gap Road and entering the blood Mountain wilderness area. I’m glad I did this hike in the winter since the bare trees revealed mountains surrounding you the majority of the hike, though there’s no grand vistas for a nice photo. I went during the week and only ran into one other party each day on the trail. All told, we probably walked for about 8 hours. If you’re doing the overnight trip, stop into the Vogel Park visitor Center and they will provide you a little map that indicates where you can find backcountry campsites and water on the trail. Good if you’re looking for a challenging, quiet trail, and very manageable for the average fitness hiker when broken into two parts.
Sat Mar 02 2019Did this one clockwise, nice moderate climbs up Slaughter and Coosa. Decent seasonal views with no leaves on the trees. FYI this trail is 12.9 miles (not 11.8 per AllTrails map), count in the .1 mile from the parking lot to the trailhead and back and you’re over 13 miles. I day hiked it but the park recommends doing it as an overnight.
Sun Feb 17 2019With the leaves down, there are views throughout. Did it counter clockwise. Long sustained climb uo Coosa. Took the short trip to Coosa Bald as well. Next time Counter clockwise. Imagine there would be few views once the leaves breakout.
Wed Feb 13 2019Did this yesterday solo. I hiked clockwise and swapped the bottom part of the CBT with the Bear Hair Trail for the views and the additional mileage. Great hike, only saw two other hikers (hiking together). Hiking clockwise gets the ascents out of the way first while you're still fresh. The views from the summit of the Bear Hair trail are awesome. Also there are winter views from the trail on the east side of Slaughter Mountain. My total mileage was 14.34 and time was 5:59:25. Be advised there are lots of blow-down on the way up Slaughter from the south.
