Hemp Top Trail – GA

Hemp Top Trail – Georgia Section is a 5.3-mile ridge traverse beginning at Dally Gap and following the Blue Ridge Divide north to Double Spring Gap. It is one of the most accessible high-ridge walks in the Cohutta Wilderness and serves as both a destination trail and a major connector within the broader Appalachian corridor. The trail begins at Dally Gap (2,585 feet), where Jacks River Trail descends left and Hemp Top Trail climbs right. For the first four miles, the tread follows the former Forest Service Road 73, now reclaimed by forest but still wide and gently graded. At mile 1.0, the trail reaches Spanish Oak Gap (2,963 feet), where the Benton MacKaye Trail (Sections 10C & 10D) merges from the left. From here to Double Spring Gap, the BMT shares the Hemp Top corridor. This overlap ties Hemp Top directly into a nearly 300-mile Appalachian footpath stretching from Springer Mountain to the Smokies. Beyond Spanish Oak Gap, Hemp Top Trail crosses to the western shoulder of the ridge and continues with only minor elevation change. The forest along this divide is classic upper Blue Ridge hardwood — chestnut oak (Quercus montana), red oak (Quercus rubra), and scattered white pine (Pinus strobus). In spring, mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) brighten the margins. At mile 2.4, Penitentiary Branch Trail descends sharply east toward Jacks River.

 

From this junction, winter views open toward the river valley winding below and toward Big Frog Mountain rising prominently to the north. Hemp Top continues along the western edge of the Blue Ridge — part of the Tennessee Valley Divide — with a broad, relaxed grade. Around mile 3.4, the trail swings west in a shallow U-shaped bend before returning to its northerly heading. Along this western arc are some of the finest winter vistas on the trail, offering layered views of the Cohutta Mountains. At mile 4.1, the trail reaches its high point atop Hemp Top Mountain (3,583 feet). From here, it descends gradually before entering a distinctive white pine forest. The pine straw underfoot softens the tread and alters the character of the woods — lighter, more open, subtly aromatic. The final descent leads to Double Spring Gap (3,228 feet), a natural saddle where Georgia meets Tennessee and the Chattahoochee meets the Cherokee National Forest. As its name suggests, two springs emerge here — one on each side of the trail. The gap feels like a threshold: Big Frog Mountain towers immediately to the north, and the forest boundary is marked by signage. A well-established campsite sits near the western spring. From Double Spring Gap, Hemp Top Trail continues north into Tennessee, climbing 1.3 miles to the summit of Big Frog Mountain before eventually descending into the Big Frog Wilderness. Hemp Top Trail – GA is not dramatic in the way river trails are. It does not roar or cascade. Instead, it walks the backbone of the divide — steady, elevated, expansive. It is a ridge for perspective.