Sky Valley: Georgia's Highest City

Sky Valley has an unusual story for a Georgia town. Up on the northwest slopes of Rabun Bald, near the North Carolina line, it once ran a real ski area, and you can still see the shape of the place that grew up around it. The slopes are gone, but the high elevation, cool air and golf course remain.

Here's what's verified about the history, the course and getting there, plus where to stay. It's an easy add-on if you're already exploring the northeast corner of Georgia.

Sky Valley opened in 1969 and its slopes ran for 35 years, according to Wikipedia. They closed for good in 2004 after the resort changed hands. By any national measure the ski area was small, with 15 to 16 acres of skiable terrain and a vertical drop of about 210 feet. The runs were Panorama, Scooter, Kamikaze, Gravity's Revenge and Pokey, the bunny slope, which had its own rope tow.

Little of the ski area remains. The chairlift house and equipment-rental shop were demolished in January 2007, and the former ski lodge, with its two eight-gabled roofs, now houses a church. With Sky Valley's slopes closed, Sapphire Valley in North Carolina is the nearest ski area.

Sky Valley is Georgia's highest incorporated city. The valley floor is at roughly 3,100 feet and the slopes above it climb past 4,200 feet, which is why it feels cooler than lower towns in summer. The city sits on the northwest slopes of Rabun Bald, the second-highest peak in Georgia. For comparison, downtown Helen is around 1,440 feet.

The Sky Valley Country Club course is semi-private and open to public play. The club describes it as a 6,900-yard-plus layout with seven sets of tees and the highest elevation of any golf course in Georgia, redesigned in 2007. The clubhouse is open daily from 7 AM to 6 PM, and you can book tee times online or call (706) 746-5302. The club also offers golf lessons, croquet and dinner reservations in the clubhouse.

Sky Valley is in Rabun County near Dillard, reached from Helen by roughly 38 miles of mountain roads, about 70 minutes without traffic. The club's website lists no lodging, so most visitors base in Helen and drive over. See our hotel guide, cabin rentals and lakeside cabins for places to stay. Check the weather before you go; the roads climb.

Sky Valley sits in the far northeast corner of the state, so the best way to use the drive is to string it together with other Rabun County stops. Drive times below are from the Sky Valley Country Club, without traffic.

The elevation is the reason to pick a warm month: Sky Valley's valley floor is roughly 3,100 feet, nearly 1,700 feet above downtown Helen at around 1,440, so it runs cooler than the valley you left. Golf season follows the weather, and the club's website is the place to check tee times and course conditions. In fall, the Forest Service's rule of thumb is that color starts on the highest peaks first, so Sky Valley's elevation puts it ahead of Helen; see the fall color guide for the current Georgia Forestry Commission outlook. Mountain roads climb to get here, so check the forecast in winter.