I'm planning a quick trip into the Cohutta's and was wondering if anyone could point to any info about camping in the area of Beech Bottom and Jacks River. I've seen restrictions posted online but was wondering if anyone had any "on the ground" info.

Hey Paul,

Several years ago there used to be a lot of camp sites both official and not so much around Jacks River Falls and Beech Bottom however the area was becoming pretty beat up and now all the sites in Beech Bottom and by the falls are offically closed to camping. However if you go just a little upstream or downstream from the falls on the Jacks River Trail you'll find sites, I believe that there are some sites right near where the Beech Bottom Trail meets the Jacks River Trail. This is a great area. Remember to hang your food.

Hang your food and prepare to be wet from the waist down!


If you've not done cohutta before, you're gonna love it, but get off the main trails unless you like tourists. JRT to the falls and CRT is pretty crowded this time of year, but 80% of the other trails you might not see anybody.

I seriously suggest you make panther creek trail a priority, I recommend doing it west to east, as long as you enjoy a strenuous but rewarding hike.


Also, if you feel confident, sugar cove trail isn't on the map anymore, and it can be real tough to navigate the remains of the trail, but it's still there, just keep your eyes peel for stacked rocks. It's wild and pretty, although you may have to bushwack or backtrack once you angle up from the water back up to JRT.


Keep your eyes peel for tent sites on the smaller trails, cause there aren't many. This place is a hammocker's dream though.

Thanks for getting back to my guys, much appreciated.

I've heard mention of the "horseshoe" on the jacks river trail with some pretty campsites. I am pretty sure that it's upstream of where beech bottom comes into Jacks river trail. Any ideas?

Basically I'm wondering about nice camping areas with a 4-6 mile walk in. I'd picked out the jacks river because it had a place to cool off and some stuff to look at. Do you all have any ideas? I'm not neccesarily tied to the Cohuttas but within 3 hours of Atlanta would be nice. This would primarily be for 24 hr. trips and introducing people to backpacking.

I'm not sure about alot of the distances and don't seem to be able to find my book.

Definitely don't skip Cohutta, it's the best spot in GA IMHO, but Jack's River and Conasagua River Trails are the most crowded, especially JRT to the falls from the western entrance. That being said, the best (and some of the only) tent camping sites are on those two trails.

Those trails are also mostly flat and easy.

We did about 50mi's in 3 days running around hitting random trails, even considering the few strenuous trails like Panther Creek and Sugar Cove.