SOTA Guide - Hightower Bald, W4G/NG-003
UPDATE: Pat and Ryan say their route from the north is good.
Drive Guide - Hightower Bald (Southern Approach) from Atlanta
- Duration: 2:15
- Google Maps from Atlanta (33.917, -84.3378): http://tinyurl.com/atlanta-hightower-north
- Seasonal/Limited Access: Unknown
- Directions:
- I made it to the 2WD trailhead in a Prius. Using both a Prius and a Corolla, I was unable to make it past an erosion ditch shortly after this point. I got hung-up on my trailer hitch and had to rock the car to get out.
- Take a good street-capable GPS and pre-load maps, if necessary. You’ll want it for your final approach, where Google Maps and reality diverge.
- N on GA-400 and go 47 miles.
- At end of 400 (@ GA-60) go straight onto GA-115. Go 4.8
- GA-115 turns R. (About 60 minute drive to this turn.) Go 11.4.
- L on Tesnatee Gap Valley Rd. There’s a left turn lane. Go 2.8.
- Go straight onto McAfee Rd. (Tesnatee turns left.) Go 0.2
- L on US-129 N at T. (About 1:15 total drive time to this turn.) Go 0.8.
- R on GA-75A. Go 8.2.
- L on GA-75 and go 16.6
- Stop – Make sure all of your GPS are turned on and you’re tracking your route.
- R on GA-2/US-76E and go 5.2.
- The final approach to the trailhead (about 15 minutes):
- L on Upper Hightower Rd (sign to Mt Pleasant Church of God) and go 1.6
- Upper Hightower Rd makes a 90 degree left turn; follow it. Go 1.6.
- Road becomes 1 lane and loses the center stripe. About this point, it forks, and the left fork is Jack Branch Rd. Stay to the right. Go 0.2.
- There is a gravel road to the right. Do NOT take it. Go 0.2.
- Fork to left is marked private. Keep right. Go 0.1.
- Park at wide spot in road. Room for 3-4 cars. There’s a buried-fiber-optic post marking the spot.
- This is 0.7 miles before the AT.
- IF you have 4WD and high ground clearance (HGC), you can drive farther.
- You’ll find some 2 foot deep erosion gullies. You could tip your vehicle if you’re not careful.
- I recommend against driving all the way to the trailhead in a 2WD SUV or a 4WD passenger car (like the Subaru Forester). You want big tires and 4WD. If you have either 4WD or HGC, you might try driving a little farther.
- Be prepared to back out, if necessary.
- Food
- Last McDonalds: GA-53 on GA-400.
- There is a McDonalds in Hiawasee that opens at 6 AM 7 days a week, but it is out of your way.
Drive Guide - Hightower Bald (Northern Approach) from Atlanta
- Duration: 2:15
- Google Maps from Atlanta (33.917, -84.3378): http://tinyurl.com/atlanta-hightower-north
- Seasonal/Limited Access: Unknown
- Directions:
- N on GA-400 and go 47 miles.
- At end of 400 (@ GA-60) go straight onto GA-115. Go 4.8
- GA-115 turns R. (About 60 minute drive to this turn.) Go 11.4.
- L on Tesnatee Gap Valley Rd. There’s a left turn lane. Go 2.8.
- Go straight onto McAfee Rd. (Tesnatee turns left.) Go 0.2
- L on US-129 N at T. (About 1:15 total drive time to this turn.) Go 0.8.
- R on GA-75A. Go 8.2.
- L on GA-75 and go 16.6
- L on US-76W and go 3.2
- R on GA-75 / NC-175 N and go 6.9
- R on NC-175 at T and go 4.3
- R on Eagle Fork Rd (at Shooting Creek Fire Department) and go 2.6
- Bear R on Eagle Fork Rd and go 0.5 to end of road.
- Parking for several cars at the end of Eagle Fork Road (35.007059, -83.622556).
Trail Guide - Approach from the South
- UPDATE: This thread says Charlies Creek Rd was repaired in 2015.
-
UPDATE: As of June 2016, I drove from Upper Hightower Rd to the first part of Charlies Creek Rd in a Corolla, but was unable to drive to Blue Ridge Gap. The road was too steep and I could not get traction to climb the hill. This is currently drivable in a light 4WD such as a Forrester. They did not re-engineer the road, so runoff is cutting erosion ditches quickly. It won’t be long before a Jeep-type 4WD will again be required.
- Duration:
- To the summit: 4:35 (5.1 miles) - one way (per my trip of 2013.04.20)
- From the summit to car: 4:40 (per my trip of 2013.04.20)
- Navigation
- GPS is essential for this hike.
- Bushwhacking strategy:
- Once you leave the AT, you’ll want to navigate from gap to peak to gap to peak…
- I tried to traverse some hills, to skirt the peak. This was a mistake. It was slow and very hard on the knees and ankles. When you’re in a gap, hike straight up to the top of the next peak. When you’re on a peak, follow the ridge line down to the next gap. (Make sure you follow the correct ridge line. Some peaks have multiple ridges, and I started down a wrong one.)
- Follow ridge lines between gaps and peaks.
- If you find yourself 10 yards off the ridge line, try and get back onto it. I regretted it when I diverged from the ridge.
- If you find yourself 25 yards off the ridge line, take your trekking poles, whack yourself over the head in penance, and get back on the ridge line.
- The final 1/4 mile (approximate) approach to Hightower Bald is overgrown with dense vegetation. You may have to skirt this. I did. Regaining the ridge line was a LOT of work. I followed the faint trail as it went slightly downhill to avoid this vegetation. Then, at some point, I said, “Too much downhill,” and headed straight up the hill. I then encountered another faint trail and followed it for a bit until I was about 30 feet from the apex. I then went straight up to the summit and found the 10 foot semi-clearing. You might do better by staying closer to the ridge as you skirt the vegetation. I think I followed the trail longer than optimal.
- There is a faint trail on much of the ridge lines.
- You can read stories on the web about how difficult this bushwhack is. For the route I describe, it is a strenuous hike, but only the last quarter mile or so has really bad vegetation. There was a small (10’) relatively clear spot at the summit.
- I did this trip on April 20, 2013. Spring ‘greening’ was just staring. Vegetation will be much worse in summer. I recommend making this trek after Daylight Saving Time begins (for the longer days) and no later than I did. Brittle winter vegetation is easier to bushwhack than lush summer growth.
- Recommended route:
- 0.8 miles, climb 625’ [30 minutes] - Follow Charlies Creek Rd from parking to the AT.
- 3 miles, climb 810’ [2 hours] - Follow AT to the north (left).
- Leave AT on the north side of Rich Knob, before Bly Gap.
- 1.3 miles, climb 1000’ (net 660’) Bushwhack to HTB [2 hours]
- Trailhead altitude: 2433’ @ 2WD parking @ 34.95928, -83.60615
- Summit altitude: 4588’
- GPS tracks/waypoints:
- Trailhead (AT): 34.95869, -83.59622
- Leave AT: 34.98682, -83.59916
- Hightower Bald: 34.9848, -83.6202
Trail Guide - Approach from the North
- Duration:
- 2.5 miles, 3 hours, 2200’ of EG, with 1700’ of it in last last 1.4 miles.
- Navigation (from Pat)
- At the end of Eagle Fork Road (35.007059, -83.622556), hike starts along a gated Forest Service road.
- Road ends shortly after crossing Loggy Branch around 1.1 miles. This is where youclimb the ridgeline up to the gap below Hightower Bald.
- Follow the ridgeline south and up! Maintain the ridgeline as there is a decent trail most of the way up.
- You will have a band of rhododendron to deal with near the top, but it is walkable.
- Once you gain the main ridgeline turn west and make the final climb to Hightower.
- Summit (and AZ) is narrow and overgrown; will be dense in summertime.
- Pat highly recommends walking down the west ridge to Tom Gap and just up the other side a bit for a great view back towards Hightower.
- Trailhead altitude:
- GPS tracks/waypoints:
Summit Guide
- Hang antenna from tree: not good. You could snake a wire from tree to tree.
- Space to guy mast: Not really. I bungeed a mast to a tree.
- Cell coverage: Yes. Adequate AT&T signal. Good Verizon/Pagenet signal.
- Unique features: Very, very strenuous bushwhack.
Plan-B Candidates