| |
|
Aska Trails
Open year-round, the Aska Trails Area offers hikers and mountain bikers 18
miles of trails from climbs to the tops of ridges to paths along the
shores of Lake Blue Ridge. |
|
|
The Aska Trails Area is a system developed on National Forest lands near Deep Gap on
Aska Road in Blue Ridge. Trails range from one to 5.5 miles and are open
to the public year round. Trails climb to 3,200 feet with views of
mountain ridges and descend to the shores of Lake Blue Ridge. Two trails
cross mountain streams, which provides a range of forested settings. This
trail offers gentle to moderate hiking grades; however, the grades are
challenging for mountain bikes. A hiker can expect to hike through
forested areas with mature hardwoods and thickets of mountain laurel and
rhododendron. |
|
"The
Gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains" |
|
Fannin County has an easily traversed corridor between
two mountain wilderness areas; the Chattahoochee National Forest and the
Cohutta Wilderness. The Cohutta Wilderness area is the largest wilderness
area in the eastern US and is comprised of 36,000 acres lying in Georgia
and Tennessee within the Cohutta Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge
Mountain chain. |
|
|
|
|
The Aska Trails system includes
some of the following trails: |
|
|
|
Stanley Gap Trail - 5.5 miles
Green Mountain Trail - 4.6 miles
Flat Creek Loop - 5.8 miles
Stanley Gap/Flat Creek Connector - .1 mile
Long Branch Loop - 2.0 miles |
|
|
|
Directions: From Blue Ridge, go east
0.25 mile on Old U.S. 76 to Aska Road; turn right (south) and continue 4.5
miles to Deep Gap. The trail crosses the road just below gap. To reach
Stanley Gap, go on Aska Road an additional 3 miles to Stanley Gap Road.
Turn right on a gravel road and travel 4.2 miles to the trailhead. To
reach the lakeshore, go 2.5 miles on the Aska Road and turn left on
Campbell Camp Road; Travel 2 miles on Forest Service Road 711 to the
trailhead. |
| |
|
Trailheads are located at Deep Gap, Stanley Gap, Shady
Falls Road and Forest Road 711 by way of Campbell Camp Road. Parking fee
is $2 per vehicle. Bulletin boards at trailheads show maps of the area and
the trail system. |
| |
|
Directions from the Toccoa Ranger District
Office in Blue Ridge (GA) to the trailheads:
| Deep Gap- From
McDonald’s restaurant at intersection of GA Hwy 515 and GA Hwy 5 in
Blue Ridge. Go east on GA Hwy 515 (toward Blairsville) approximately
0.8 miles to Windy Ridge Road. At Windy Ridge Road turn right, go
0.2 miles to dead end with old U.S. 76. Turn left, go 0.2 miles to
Aska Road on the right. Turn right, go south 4.4 miles to Deep Gap
parking area below gap on the right side of road. |
| Stanley Gap- Go
south on Aska Road 8 miles. Turn right on paved road (Toccoa
Riverside restaurant on left). Parking area for trail is 4.1 miles
on right. |
| Forest Road 711-
Drive south on Aska Road for 2.5 miles to Campbell Camp Road. Turn
left and follow main road 0.8 miles to Forest Road 711 intersecting
from left. Follow 711 past private homes; turn right, trailhead 2.0
miles. |
| Shady Falls-
Follow Aska Road south 5.9 miles to Shady Falls Road. Turn left, go
0.2 miles, parking area on left. |
|
|
