Northwest High Country

NOTOC The Northwest High Country is a sub-region of Georgia's Historic High Country region. The northwest corner of the state borders Alabama and Tennessee. The nearest large city is Chattanooga, Tennessee and accordingly Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls, and Rock City. The largest city, Dalton is well known for its carpet industry. Other attractions include Cloudland Canyon State Park, Fort Mountain State Park, Chief Vann House Historic Site, and the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Cities

Calhoun
Chatsworth
Dalton
Fort Oglethorpe
Lafayette
Wildwood — an unincorporated settlement that is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan area

Other destinations

Understand

Get in

Get around

See

This area is rich in Cherokee heritage and some notable sights pertaining to this are Chief Vann House Historic Site and New Echota Historic Site

Cohutta Overlook. Located off of Highway 52, this overlook offers panoramic views of the Cohutta Mountains.

Do

Hiking

Cloudland Canyon State Park, 122 Cloudland Canyon Park Road Rising Fawn, GA 30738, 34.8402630°, -85.4828810°, +1 706-657-4050. 7AM-10PM. State park in Dade county that straddles a deep gorge. Cloudland Canyon's depths range from 800 to 1,980 feet. Contains 30 miles of hiking trails
Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area, +1 (706) 295-6041. Contains several hiking trails on Pigeon Mountain. Points of interest include the Pocket Branch Falls, the Blue Hole, Petty John's Cave and Ellison's Cave. As its name suggests, hunting is also allowed in the WMA. GORP ($6 online for individual 3-day pass)
Fort Mountain State Park, 181 Fort Mountain Park Road Chatsworth, GA 30705, 34.7613010°, -84.702702°, +1 706-422-1932. 7AM-10PM. The park has over 25 miles (40 km) of hiking trails, leading to a CCC fire tower, an ancient stone wall and overlooks that offer majestic views of the Cohutta Mountains. Park also contains a reservoir with a lakeside beach.
James H. Floyd State Park, 2800 Sloppy Floyd Lake Road Summerville, GA 30747, 34.439933°, -085.337250°. A state park near Summerville at the base of Taylor Ridge. Features two lakes, boardwalks, pedal boat rentals and 5 miles of hiking trails. The Pinhoti Trail is only a 1.6 miles away from the park.
Johns Mountain Wildlife Management Area, +1 (706) 295-6041. The Johns Mountain WMA is in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Trails inside this WMA lead to features such as the Keown Falls and the Johns Mountain Overlook. As a wildlife management area, hunting is allowed inside this park.

Lakes

Carters Lake, 34.6072°, -84.6332°. A 3,200-acre lake in Murray and Gilmer counties. The lake is more than 450 feet (140 m) deep.
Lake Conasauga, 34.86°, -84.651111°. A 19-acre lake near Grassy Mountain in the Cohutta Mountains. It is the highest lake in Georgia at 3,150 feet (960 m) above sea level. Hiking, fishing, picnicking and non-motorized boating allowed. $10 a night per site

Caving

Ellison's Cave. A cave on Pigeon Mountain in Walker County. Features the deepest, unobstructed underground pitch in the continental US.
Petty John's Cave. Cave on Pigeon Mountain. A mostly horizontal cave.

Rock climbing

Rocktown. A free face rock-climbing area on top of Pigeon Mountain.

Eat

The Tavern in Trion has some of the best southern cooking you'll find anywhere.

Ballenger's in Summerville has excellent steaks. Home-made salad dressings and also excellent spaghetti and lasagna.