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.
Vogel State Park charges a $5 parking fee. You can also purchase an annual pass that is valid at all Georgia State Parks for $50. 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).
April 12, 2021Amazing hike! Not for the weary, that first climb up to Coosa Bald is a tough one. Good views from the top in the early spring. make sure to take a right on the Duncan Ridge Trail after you complete the first long climb so you can summit Coosa Bald. it's a short diversion from the Coosa Backcountry trail that's well worth it. You've climbed all that way might as well see the bald and views. The Blood Mountain wilderness area is beautiful. I consumed about 4 L of water on this hike so make sure to bring a lot of water and/or a water purification kit.
March 21, 2021Not a very scenic trail, but pretty in a couple spots. We did it counterclockwise and did the tough parts first and camped about 3 miles from the end of the trail. There are a bunch of campsites along the trail, but i would not recommend the top of the mountains. It was very windy up there and i don’t think there was any water.
March 21, 2021March 20, 2021I've had the Coosa Backcountry Trail on my list of To-Do's for a while. I started around 9am and finished around 5:30pm. I did the loop counter clockwise. This was fine, and does provide a good understanding of the full hike you'll be doing as you make your way to begin the climb up to Coosa Bald. Plenty of water access during Spring time. I was worried that it's be dry, but was surprised by how many springs there were. Again, I can't speak for Fall or Winter time. The OG recording does not include you summiting Coosa. I highly encourage anyone to make the push. This provides actual views for you to enjoy. I also tacked on summiting Blood Mtn. I would also recommend doing this. I felt like adding these two summits made the hike that much more rewarding. I initially planned to overnight this, and packed out to do so, but ended up completing this in one day. Had I done anymore mileage, I probably would've needed to camp it. You could definitely overnight this if you wanted, ending your day a bit early on Blood Mtn. I was the only one on Coosa Bald, but I guess that's not surprising since the closest parking lot is shared with a Blood Mtn. Trailhead when you cross 180. Blood was incredibly busy, but that was expected. Overall, with both summits, this was a 10/10 experience and something I'd highly recommend.
March 14, 2021March 13, 2021March 13, 2021Beware the 2nd peak! For after your 2nd pass across 180 is where the demons hide.
March 11, 2021March 7, 2021This is a pretty demanding and rigorous trail. There are a couple of places that could use a little clarification with better signage/blazes. This is particularly true at the FS107 / Coosa Backcountry intersection. The trail is in pretty good shape overall, with only a couple of sections with some remaining blowdown which is only a pain if backpacking for an overnight trip. Plenty of great campsites along the trail with established fire rings and smooth level ground for tents.
February 27, 2021February 20, 2021February 3, 2021Went counter-clockwise Jan. 19. Tough trail with steep sections and a good bit of ice which I got through with 2 trekking poles. Most if not all campsites are on ridges and fairly windy but nice views without the leaves.
January 31, 2021Awesome!
January 23, 2021Great hike, but demanding
January 16, 2021January 16, 2021January 9, 2021December 26, 2020December 23, 2020December 11, 2020December 8, 2020Hike counter clockwise. Went 6 always up miles and camped near Grassy Bald. Found an offtrail previously established site with endless supply of firewood and water 1/8th mile away. No leaves so view was great. Dropped to 19 degrees so we had a huge fire until tent time. Nxt day finished the loop which still had significant uphill. Tough hike with a load. Recomend fall winter as there will be no views with leaves.
November 17, 2020Great trail. We went clock-wise on the Coosa Backcountry Trail, which provided a difficult first day to camp overnight at Coosa Bald. Great campsite with a killer view on the rocks near the campsite. The trail came in at 14.4 miles with the stop at Coosa Bald. The trail could have used some better marking blazes on the return. But overall great and strenuous hike.
November 10, 2020Did this October 2019 and got turned around coming back down from blood. Not well marked.
October 17, 2020Was definitely a demanding hike - lots of elevation gain. Be sure to be ready. As noted by others, not well marked in a couple of places - not awful, but good to have the map downloaded. While the hike was pretty, lack of any long range views knocks it down a bit in my mind. We took a short spur to Coosa bald and that did at least have a little clearing and view.
October 3, 2020September 16, 2020I hiked counter clockwise and camped around mile 7 on top of the mountain. It was tough descending then going back above 4000 feet on the second day. I would definitely recommend doing this in two days unless you are really fit.
September 13, 2020Very difficult but enjoyable. poorly marked. trail markers sporadic and changed from Green to blue with no warning. would definitely recommend it. talk to a knowledgeable ranger in advance and get them to explain map in detail no matter the extra time it takes.
September 13, 2020When they say Coosa is not for the views they mean there are no views!! I though I would get at least one good view but nope. It is all about distance and elevation. Good hike. Could social distance.
