Conquering Sawnee Mountain

I closed the office early today in preparation for July 4th, and decided to take advantage of being so far North and having extra time. A friend has recommended the hiking trails at Sawnee Mountain in Cumming, so I decided to give it a try.

Since I had a good bit of time, I decided to start the day with a visit to the Amicalola River Trail, just outside of Dawsonville. The trail runs along the river for some time, and then climbs a high ridge. This section of the river is known for its rapids, popular with kayakers. In fact, as I arrived, a group with a guide just finishing their visit. As a result of the distraction, I went the wrong way along the river, resulting in a short, pleasant walk along a rocky section of the river.

The actual trail runs on a boardwalk for close to half a mile, bringing back some unpleasant memories or last week’s bike crash. Fortunately, the boardwalk was dry this time, and I was on foot. The guide says to expect the first half mile to be crowded with swimmers, boaters, and people fishing, and I found this to be the case. Once the trail turned away from the river, I did not see a soul.

After finishing this trail, I drove back toward Cumming and Sawnee Mountain. Sawnee is an unusually large mountain in a city that is otherwise flat, causing it to stand out like a sore thumb, visible all over the city. The various communication towers on top make it more so. I began on the Indian Seat trail, which took me right to the top, which has a wonderful view from the edge of the large rocks lining the area.

I descended the trail to the intersection of the Laurel Ridge trail, which runs to a very attractive visitor center. Along the way, I came across a structure referred to as the tree house. It is actually at grade level, but extends out over a ravine.

The visitor center has a second tree house, this one with a suspension bridge high up in the trees. It was not clear how one would get up there. I suspect that is only possible when the visitor center is staffed.

After a brief pause for some trail mix to fix my blood sugar, I headed back along the Laurel Ridge trail to the South parking lot.
As the weather has gotten warmer, I have done more biking and less hiking, often biking in the same area week after week. I discovered today that I do miss doing more hiking, which I look forward to resuming when the weather cools. I also miss the adventure of going to a new place, which I was able to more than satisfy today.