Frosty Mountain Loop at Amicalola Falls

I left the house this morning not knowing for sure where I would end up. I thought about going back to the AT, and picking up from the spot I stopped at last week. At the last minute however, I decided to go to Amicalola Falls State Park, and do the Frosty Mountain Loop. The loop begins on the AT approach trail, which connects the effective beginning of the AT with the traditional start at Springer Mountain. One can begin that trail at the visitor center, or at the top of the falls. After signing in at the visitor center (a permit is required for this trail), I drove to the top of the falls to begin, as I did not think my knees could handle 468 steps in addition to a 4 hour hike.

I picked up the approach trail on the road near the lodge, and followed it briefly until the Hike Inn trail split off. This trail runs 5 miles at a steady climb, and is wide, and well groomed and blazed. With all of the remote trails I have hiked, no mater the weather, I have never failed to encounter at least one other hiker. This trail was the exception. I saw nobody (man nor beast) during this leg of the trip. All of a sudden, I went around a bend in the trail and found myself in civilization again – well, sort of.

The purpose of the Hike Inn trail is to allow hikers to reach its namesake, the Len Foote Hike Inn. This Inn is quite unique in that it caters strictly to hikers. It is open year round and only accessible by foot. It appeals to those beginning or ending a thru hike on the AT, as well as those who want to get away from it all. This is surely the Gilligan’s Island of the Georgia Mountains (no phone, no light, no motorcar, not a single luxury). That is a bit overstated – it does have electric lights and heat (but no electrical outlets), bathrooms, and showers. The rooms, each with a set of bunk beds, are about the size of my bathroom.

I went into the lobby and asked the manager to direct me to the restroom, and he kindly led me there. He also told me there were biscuits, honey, and drinks in the dining room (they only serve breakfast and dinner). I stopped in there and helped myself to a biscuit (I was half starved at this point), while I reviewed the balance of the trip.

The Hike Inn trail continues for 1 more mile past the Inn, where is connects to the AT approach trail. This was the hardest part of the hike – almost straight up the whole way. I hit the AT approach, and started back down toward the park. This trail, unlike the Hike Inn trail, is narrow, not well maintained, and poorly blazed.

The approach trail climbs briefly before reaching Frosty Mountain. This is the former home of a fire tower, but all that remains of it is the four concrete supports. From this point, the trail is mostly downhill, with a few good climbs.

The guide book I was using for this hike (Best Hikes with Dogs: Georgia & South Carolina) suggests taking the access road at Frosty Mountain back to the Hike Inn trail, but I hate to backtrack, so I continued on the approach trail. I finally reached the park road again right at 4 hours,

When I got back to the parking lot, I could not resist the brief walk to the top of the waterfall, after which I ate soup and salad at the Amicalola Lodge dining room. This is surely the dining room with the best view in the entire Southeast. On my way back out, I finally got to see the bears I had missed last week :-)