Named for Benton MacKaye, the Massachusetts forester/regional planner who proposed the Appalachian Trail, this hiking trail near Blue Ridge, GA, features remarkable changes in terrain and too many modern intrusions. The BMT follows a portion of the original Appalachian Trail, which was extensively rerouted after 1957. Looping further west, the Benton MacKaye Trail crosses Chester Creek a couple of times before Three Forks (Chester is one of the creeks that make up Three Forks).
Almost exactly 1 mile past the footbridge over Chester at Three Forks, the Benton MacKaye turns left (and the Duncan Ridge Trail begins, leaving the Appalachian Trail for the last time until it rejoins America's Footpath 250 miles further north). The Duncan Ridge Trail shares the footpath with the Benton MacKaye until shortly after crossing Route 60. Unlike its eastern brother, the Appalachian Trail, the Benton MacKaye does not always wind through federally protected land.
The BMT undulates, rising, falling, and looping much like the AT until it begins the descent to the Toccoa River. A long footbridge spans the waterway. From the river, the BMT rises and follows the ridge of Tooni Mountain. Leaving Tooni, the paths descend and cross Hwy-60, then climb Wallalah, Licklog, and Rhodes Mountain, where the Duncan Ridge veers off the east. From this point, the BMT enters some of the most beautiful country and the most difficult portion of this long trail south of the Cohutta Wilderness. The trail crosses Hwy-60 once again during this portion of the hike....
Named for Benton MacKaye, the Massachusetts forester/regional planner who proposed the Appalachian Trail, this hiking trail near Blue Ridge, GA, features remarkable changes in terrain and too many modern intrusions. The BMT follows a portion of the original Appalachian Trail, which was extensively rerouted after 1957. Looping further west, the Benton MacKaye Trail crosses Chester Creek a couple of times before Three Forks (Chester is one of the creeks that make up Three Forks).
Almost exactly 1 mile past the footbridge over Chester at Three Forks, the Benton MacKaye turns left (and the Duncan Ridge Trail begins, leaving the Appalachian Trail for the last time until it rejoins America's Footpath 250 miles further north). The Duncan Ridge Trail shares the footpath with the Benton MacKaye until shortly after crossing Route 60. Unlike its eastern brother, the Appalachian Trail, the Benton MacKaye does not always wind through federally protected land.
The BMT undulates, rising, falling, and looping much like the AT until it begins the descent to the Toccoa River. A long footbridge spans the waterway. From the river, the BMT rises and follows the ridge of Tooni Mountain. Leaving Tooni, the paths descend and cross Hwy-60, then climb Wallalah, Licklog, and Rhodes Mountain, where the Duncan Ridge veers off the east. From this point, the BMT enters some of the most beautiful country and the most difficult portion of this long trail south of the Cohutta Wilderness. The trail crosses Hwy-60 once again during this portion of the hike.
The Benton MacKaye joins a road to cross the Toccoa once again, this time on Shallowford Bridge. Using county roads for almost 5 miles, the Benton MacKaye leaves Stanley Creek Road just past the Falls Branch Bridge, beginning the climb to Rocky Mountain. A short (.25 miles) way up the mountain, a side trail leads to Falls Branch Falls. Climbing 1400' to Rocky Mountain, the Benton MacKaye Trail follows ridges to Cherry Log. Here, the footpath crosses US 76 (Hwy 515). The path follows state and county roads to Bush Head Gap.
The BMT continues past Flat Top to Dyer Gap where it crosses old Highway 2 into the Cohutta Wilderness. The path then winds through the wilderness until it returns to old Highway 2 near the sign "Cohutta Wildlife Management Area, Chattahoochee National Forest." From here, the path takes a more northern route to the Georgia/Tennessee border, entering a true wilderness area. This is a fairly new part of the trail. The entire trail is marked with white diamond blazes.
