Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

It’s hard to find campgrounds on public land in the Blue Ridge Mountains that are both big-rig and digital nomad-friendly. As soon as we got settled in at the campground at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, we knew we’d found the perfect spot for us and were reminded how much we love being in the mountains!

This county-owned campground offers full-hookup waterfront campsites on Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee. We used it as a home base for a few weeks to explore North Georgia.

The fairgrounds are also home to the Hamilton Gardens, which we enjoyed walking around during lunch breaks and after work. We arrived in the midst of the Rhododendron Festival in April. In early May, they started hosting a music series called Acoustic Sunsets.

Michael took a couple of work trips to the Atlanta office, and I got a chance to visit my parents. Then we spent our weekends on the trails chasing views and waterfalls.

Nearby, Brasstown Bald is Georgia’s highest peak. You can drive most of the way, and then either take a steep walk or ride a shuttle to the top, where there is a fire tower and a nice visitor center. On a clear day, you can see GA, TN, SC, and NC from the observation deck.

Near the German-themed tourist town of Helen, we hiked to Raven Cliff Falls (below left), Anna Ruby Falls (below right), and Mount Yonah.

We missed out on the best thing to do in Helen, tubing on the Chattahoochee River. We only had one weekend day that was warm enough, and that was the day we found out about this, and we weren’t prepared. If you visit Helen, pack a swimsuit.

Near Dahlonega, we did a couple of hikes along the Appalachian Trail to Preacher’s Rock and Blood Mountain.

Blood Mountain (below left) is the highest peak on Georgia’s portion of the AT. Also, nearby is DeSoto Falls (below right).

Our biggest North Georgia adventure was at Tallulah Gorge State Park near Clayton. Hiking down into the gorge requires attending a class and obtaining a permit from a park ranger. I can verify that this process is necessary. The hike was a choose-your-own-adventure kind of thing, depending on how you wanted to make several river crossings and how well you remembered the Ranger’s suggestions. We were told it was a rite of passage to fall into the river, and both of us joined that club, unfortunately.