Description The "capital of the Cherokee" is a steeply rugged Wilderness that drapes across the northern, northeastern, and southwestern flanks of 4,784-foot Brasstown Bald Mountain, the highest point in the state. Here you'll find boulder fields, rock formations, and streams cascading through narrow gorges, giving way periodically to waterfalls. Second-growth hardwoods dominate this flora-rich region, highlighted in spring and summer by a profusion of wildflowers. Native trout can be found in some of the 14.1 miles of stream. Deer, squirrels, and grouse scurry about the banks, with smaller populations of black bears, woodcocks, and wild turkeys. The threatened or endangered New England cottontail rabbit, southeastern shrew, and pygmy shrew also seek shelter here. Hikers tend to stick to the only developed trails in the area: the steep 5.5-mile Arkaqua National Recreation Trail, which begins at the Brasstown Bald parking area just outside the Wilderness, and the 4.5-mile Jack's Knob National Recreation Trail, which ties the Appalachian Trail to the same parking lot. During periods of heavy visitation, noise from the Brasstown Bald Visitors Center echoes through the Wilderness. Contact: Blue Ridge Ranger District (Blairsville office) - Phone: 706-745-6928 - Address: 2042 Highway 515 West, Blairsville, GA 30512

Area Management The Brasstown Wilderness is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, set up by the Wilderness Act of 1964 to keep these lands wild. Please use Leave No Trace practices when you visit.

General Wilderness Prohibitions As in all designated wilderness, motor vehicles, motorized equipment and mechanical transport (including bicycles, carts and wagons) are generally not allowed, and aircraft may not land. Contact the ranger district listed on this page about any exceptions.

The following wilderness regulations are in effect for this area. Not all regulations are in effect for every wilderness. Contact the Forest Service office for more specific information about the regulations listed. Stock grazing prohibited Dogs Restricted - Must be leased and under control Stock Use Prohibited - No hitching or tethering Possessing or using a saddle, pack, or draft animal on developed trails which hs been closed to use by horses and is posted as prohibited. Then hitching, tethering or hobbling a horse or other saddle or pack animal, closer than 50 feet from a stream or body of water is prohibited.

The priority for the Forest Service during the 1960's and 1970's was to restore badly eroded lands on the Oconee and restore forest health. During the 1960's construction efforts were undertaken to provide developed recreation areas within 50 miles of every major town. Brasstown Bald Visitor Information Center atop Georgia's highest mountain and Warwomen Dell are examples of areas built as a result of this effort.

The next four decades saw increased environmental legislation that governs management of the national forests to protect environmental quality and insure public involvement in the process. Wilderness areas were preserved, Wild and Scenic Rivers designated, and experts in natural resource management were employed to help meet the challenges. While the way we do things have changed many times over the years, our tradition of stewardship--caring for the land and serving people, is the same.