If you’re ready for a moderately strenuous hike through lush forest with spectacular pay off views then you’re in the right place!
Hiking The Yonah Mountain Trail
Located in Cleveland, GA, the Yonah Mountain TrailHead is an 1.5 hour drive from the Atlanta area. The drive to get there is primarily by highway and paved roads so no special vehicle or navigational skills are needed. It’s worth mentioning that there is a very short section of rutted, unpaved road that you’ll have to traverse to get to the actual trailhead however we’ve tackled this multiple times with a 2 wheel drive vehicle without issues. The trail is about 4 miles round trip and can take anywhere from 2-4 hours or longer if you’re like us and like to explore every path and take in every view. The Yonah trail does pass through an active military training site so be sure to call 706-864-3367 and check the training schedule ahead of your visit.
As for when is a good time to hike this trail, we would say hiking Yonah is exceptional three out of the four seasons with each season having something different but equally fun to offer. Spring-time with its fresh greenery and endless wild flowers and fall with its panoramic views of the colorful leaf change are our personal favorites. Winter can be a little chilly and windy but this is typically barely noticeable as climbing uphill steadily for 2 miles tends to be a good way to stay warm and you get the rare chance to catch snow on the mountain!
The absolute worse time of year to do this hike is in the summer. In case you’ve never experienced a Georgia summer, we’re here to tell you that this time of year is primarily for floating in pools and sitting in perfectly air conditioned rooms for a reason. With temperatures often reaching more than a 100 degrees daily and endless gnats and mosquitoes, there’s no amount of bug spray and you’ll never be able to strip off enough clothes to alleviate the heat and humidity and make this hike enjoyable. That being said, if you’re a glutton for punishment and must do this hike in the summer make sure to bring lots of water and possibly a friend or two that can carry you back down if need be.
The trailhead is easy to spot taking off from the gravel parking lot but make sure to do a little warm up stretching before you get going because once you hit the trail it’s a very steady and unrelenting climb to the top. We often find ourselves going at an average pace so that we can adjust to the incline and enjoy the forest and the wildlife. The trail is well marked and there’s usually a fair amount of foot traffic so encountering dangerous wildlife, like bears, is rare. In all honesty, the only wildlife we’ve seen on this trail were deer, squirrels and termites.
The first mile of the trail is very forested and does not offer any significant Mountain Views to speak of, but there are bridges and streams and tons of flora to admire along the forest floor, all of which provide an excellent excuse to stop and catch your breath if the climbing becomes too intense.
At about a mile into the trail, coming just after you test your flexibility by scrambling over a section of boulders, you’ll come upon a flat, open campsite offering up the first views of the Blueridge Mountains. Taking a break here is a must, not only for the views but because the next section of the trail is where the real work out happens.
Leaving the campsite, the climb quickly becomes an intense, uphill, will-testing battle. This heart- pounding, seemingly endless section of the trail is actually only 0.3 miles in length and we find that if we focus in and take breaks when we need them getting to the end isn’t too much of an ordeal. The dramatic incline abruptly ends at a gravel road where turning right and continuing on lands you in the small clearing where the US military training site is located. There are restrooms making this a good pit stop as there are no other facilities once you summit.
Continuing on from the training site, multiple trails lead off to the right and continue the upward climb. The main trail is easy to spot as it’s wide and gravel.
By this time you might start questioning things and might even start contemplating climbing back down but don’t give up! In just another 0.2 miles of climbing you’ll see a small path off to the right side of the main trail.Take this path and carefully make your way to what we consider the best payoff of this hike. With panoramic views of the rolling, forested Blueridge mountains, farmlands as far as the eye can see and birds just lazily gliding pass and with abundant sunshine and a, usually, gentle breeze this spot is simply breathtaking. We like to pack a light picnic or snack and relax here for a while before moving on.
The climb to the summit from the lookout point is another 0.4 miles and ends at a grassy, green meadow-like rounded mountain top. The summit itself is not forested and therefore there is no canopy of trees over the multiple campsites sprinkled throughout the meadow to obstruct views of perfectly starry sky if you decide to hunker down here for the night.
Many short trails lead away from the flat mountain top in a fan-like configuration and allow for exploration of the outer edges of the mountain top providing dramatic views of the surrounding mountains and country side.
You’ll find more than a few places where you’ll be able to spread a blanket or hang a hammock and while an afternoon away. Be sure to exercise caution as you make your way around the face of the mountain on these smaller trails because while they are safe they do bring you closer to sheer drop off points.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, the hike back out is 2 miles of welcomed downhill trekking. This is probably where you’ll really find yourself exploring and delighting in the forest as most of the hard work will now be behind you. If you time it just right you may find yourself back at the parking lot at just the right moment to watch the rays of the sunset light the rock face of Yonah Mountain aglow giving you one final unforgettable view of the mountain before you head home.
