Georgia Natural Wonder #75 - Coosa Bald. 515

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #75 - Coosa Bald

Coosa Bald, with an elevation of 4,280 feet, is tied with Double Spring Knob as the tenth-highest peak in Georgia. It is located in Union County and is the third-highest mountain in the county, behind Blood Mountain and Slaughter Mountain.


Woo, a view from top of Coosa Bald.

Coosa Bald is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest and its peak is crossed by the Duncan Ridge Trail, a trail that connects with the Benton MacKaye Trail and the Appalachian Trail.


Coosa Bald as viewed from Brasstown Bald.

That’s all I can find on Wikipedia, etc. I did find all these different trail descriptions various sites.

Coosa Bald is a 12 mile loop trail located near Suches, Georgia that features a waterfall and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from September until May.


From a distance.


On the way up.


Dogs are also able to use this trail.

The summit of Coosa Bald is roughly halfway on this loop hike, and at 4,271 feet it has spectacular winter views.



Unfortunately, the forest has encroached on the once barren area and it is not possible to see from the summit year round. Here is a YouTube from the summit.



There several rock outcrops and boulders.





12 New images on this post.





Other features on the hike include a wilderness statue of Jesus Christ near Calf Stomp Gap.


Can’t find Jesus Statue in woods, but did find Woods walking on water.

And some scenic streams and waterfalls closer to Vogel State Park.





This hike follows the Coosa Backcountry Trail and completes a loop hike that starts and ends at Vogel State Park and runs through the Blood Mountain Wilderness area. The 12.7 mile route shares portions of the trial with the Duncan Ridge and Bear Hair Gap Trails and it is a very challenging hike due to frequent ascents and descents in the rolling hills of North Georgia.



This 12.7-mile loop starts in Vogel State Park, climbs to Burnett Gap, circles the Sosebee Creek Valley, then climbs again to 4,271-foot Coosa Bald. Pick up the Coosa Backcountry Trail by hiking past the Reece Nature Trail and crossing Burnett Branch to the first trail junction. Turn right onto the wide track and climb to Burnett Gap to start a counterclockwise loop. Descend to Sosebee Creek Valley, the hike’s low point, then begin a sharp climb through mixed forest to Coosa Bald. Take the spur trail at the campsite near mile 7 to a rocky outcrop for sweeping forest views.



Continue a strenuous series of ups and downs as you cross into the Blood Mountain Wilderness, reaching Slaughter Mountain before descending through a stream-filled valley.



Passing small waterfalls on your way back to the state park.





Second description. Climbed Coosa and Slaughter as part of weekend backpacking trip on Coosa Backcountry Trail. Coosa summit is easy to find along Duncan Ridge Trail. Decent winter view from summit. Slaughter is more difficult to reach. Ditched packs at spot where DRT/Coosa trail started to descend and turn away from summit of Slaughter. Steep but fairly easy bushwhack up to summit. Summit is rocky and interesting, but no clear views like on Blood. Decent winter view near summit.



Third description is getting better, only a half mile hike instead of a 12 mile hike. As far as I can determine, Coosa Bald is tied with Shooting Creek Bald and Double Spring Knob as the 12th highest named highpoint in Georgia. I used the Duncan Ridge Road, which was in good shape for a one lane mountain dirt road, to the trailhead at Wildcat Gap. This placed me around .5 miles from the summit. The trail to the top was very good, but steep in places. There was a great view to the south at the summit and I was able to locate the benchmark placed in 1934.



This was a very enjoyable short mountain ascent


High Points in Georgia as viewed from Rabun Bald. From left to right - Hogpen Gap - Blood Mountain - Slaughter Mountain -  Coosa Bald - Tray Mountain - Brasstown Bald (Highest)

Fourth hike recount. Started from Wolfpen Gap, off of Wolfpen Gap Rd (Hwy 180). Be careful driving up Hwy 180, as it is quite curvy and popular with cyclists and bikers. Parked at approx 34.763981, -83.952185, where the Coosa Backcountry trail crosses the road. Trail is uphill but reasonable until about the 1.2 mile mark, where it crosses Duncan Ridge Rd. From there, the steepness increases quite a bit. Followed the trail north until around the 1.6 mile mark, where the Coosa Backcountry trail heads east and the Duncan Ridge Trail splits off to the left. Took the Duncan Ridge trail the final quarter-mile to the summit of Coosa Bald.



A little bit of a view from a small rock outcropping, but the summit is mostly wooded, despite the "bald" designation. USGS BM at the same outcropping, but it doesn't actually list the elevation. Took the same trail back to the car. Total distance: 3.75 miles.


Another oversized map.

Found some extra photos from a last hike desription just 6 months ago.


Did 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 back country 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.



More images of the hike from this last hiker.





A final note, the Coosa Backcountry Trail does not actually climb Coosa Bald, the trails namesake. To see the view from the bald, you will have to use the Duncan Ridge Trail. You can knock off two top ten Georgia peaks on this trail. It runs next to Forest Service Road 39, also known as Duncan Ridge Road. Continuing the steep ascent/descent cycle that it began at Rhodes Mountain, the DRT climbs both Wildcat Knob and Coosa Bald. The Coosa Backcountry Trail joins the Duncan Ridge Trail briefly after the descent from Coosa Bald until the north end of Slaughter Gap. A final climb up Slaughter Mountain and the trail ambles easily down to the Appalachian Trail on Blood Mountain.



This was the last of our top ten tallest mountains in Georgia. We come to the rivers of North Georgia tomorrow. Today's GNW gal loves some mountain hiking. This may be my favorite GNW gal of them all. My mind races with thoughts of Bald Coosa.


What mountain, what hike, twin peaks all I see.