Martin's Mine Trail

This is the trail for people who like a little history with their walk. Smithgall Woods State Park sits on land that was reshaped by hydraulic gold mining in the 1800s, and the Martin's Mine loop interprets that story with signs, a vertical mine shaft left from the earlier mining era, and a view of a waterfall. The loop itself is under a mile, but cars stop at the visitor center and the trail starts 2.1 miles down a road open only to hikers, bikes and staff, so plan on about 5 miles round trip on foot.

Georgia had a gold rush two decades before California did. Gold turned up in north Georgia in 1828, and the rush began in 1829 near Dahlonega; many of those miners later headed west when California gold was found. Hydraulic mining, which uses water under pressure to wash away hillsides, renewed interest in the 1850s, and it's the reason the land at Smithgall Woods needed restoring.

The gold rush also has a painful side. It added to the pressure that led to the forced removal of the Cherokee from Georgia, known as the Trail of Tears. It's worth keeping in mind as you read the signs. For more on gold in the area, see our gold panning guide.