Mountain Views and Overlooks Near Helen

The ridges north and west of Helen give you everything from a roadside pull-off to a summit with a 360-degree deck. Here's how the main ones compare, so you can match the view to the effort you've got in you.

Elevations from FIND Outdoors, the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club (gaps) and Wikipedia (Cowrock, Yonah). Drive times are estimates without traffic.

This is the one with the payoff. FIND Outdoors describes 360-degree skytop views, and the summit has an observation deck, a natural history museum and a gift shop. From the parking lot you can take the paved 0.6-mile summit trail, which is very steep, or ride the shuttle; the shuttle is included in your admission.

It's open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, with the last shuttle up at 4:30. Admission is $10 per adult 16 and up (children 15 and under are free), and the Georgia ParkPass doesn't apply because it's a Forest Service site. Fall-color weekends fill the parking lot, so aim for opening time. Full details are in our Brasstown Bald guide.

GA-348 is the high, twisting road out of Helen, and it's part of the Russell-Brasstown National Scenic Byway, a 40-mile loop with GA-180 and GA-17/75. The Forest Service suggests at least three hours of driving. Along the way it passes the Dukes Creek Falls and Raven Cliffs trailheads and crosses the Appalachian Trail at Hogpen Gap. Our Russell Scenic Highway page and scenic drives guide cover the rest.

Hogpen Gap

At 3,461 feet, Hogpen Gap is the easiest way to stand among the treetops. There's roadside parking where the Appalachian Trail crosses GA-348, and a few minutes of walking on the trail in either direction gets you away from the road. It's also a reliable place to see fall color early, since the high ridges turn before the valley does.

Tesnatee Gap and Cowrock Mountain

Tesnatee Gap, at about 3,125 feet, is mostly a parking area on GA-348 just west of Hogpen Gap. The view comes from the Appalachian Trail climb to Cowrock Mountain, whose northern summit reaches 3,852 feet, the highest point in Lumpkin County. It's a short, steep walk with open rock near the top. Check a current trail map for the distance before you go, and carry water.

Mount Yonah is the granite peak you see from the Nacoochee Valley, about 3,165 feet at the summit. Hikers climb it from a trailhead on Chambers Road, gaining roughly 1,500 feet, and the U.S. Army Ranger Training Brigade uses the mountain for the Mountain Phase of Ranger School, so expect to see signs and sometimes soldiers. Rock faces near the top have sudden drop-offs. We cover the climb on our Mount Yonah page; the basic facts are on Wikipedia.

Blood Mountain is farther west on the Appalachian Trail and is the highest peak on the trail's Georgia stretch. A stone shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps sits near the summit, and the rock outcrops around it open to wide views. Treat it as a full hike, not a quick stop; it's a better fit for a day trip than for an afternoon from Helen.

Instead of a panorama, you get water pouring through a split in a granite cliff. The Forest Service trailhead on GA-348 charges $5 per vehicle, and the trail runs 2.6 miles each way into the Raven Cliffs Wilderness. Expect a creek crossing that can run calf-deep. Our Raven Cliff Falls guide has the details.

The soft blue haze that gives these mountains their name is what makes distant ridges look layered, so the best shots usually come from lining up several ridgelines and waiting for the light.