Logan Turnpike

On National Trails Day, (June 3, 2017), six volunteers led by the Lumpkin Coalition in partnership with the US Forest Service, swung, clipped, sawed, lopped, pulled and hacked their way along one of Northeast Georgia’s hidden treasures.

The group, with hand tools in hand and gloves on hands (no power tools allowed in wilderness areas), hiked the Logan Turnpike Trail, clearing the way for others to follow. Maintenance on the trail had not been done in 2 years. Blow-downs and poison ivy were the main obstacles blocking the unique and historic trail. They, along with overhanging branches and trail-covering plants have been cleared and the wilderness trail is ready for visitors.

Hiking the Logan Turnpike Trail is akin to walking on a rocky road – because it is a rocky road! The turnpike was built in 1821 as a wagon road to transport goods south of Tesnatee Gap, located in what is now White County. To imagine the labor required to build the massive earthworks of stones that rise on either side of the road is mind-boggling.

From the trailhead at Tesnatee Gap, the trail drops steeply off of the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway. It soon picks up the turnpike, which has a gentler and easier grade. It descends through areas that were directly hit by the tornado of 2011, where in the winter, the view is of the ridges and hilltops of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

The pike travels down into the northern reaches of Kellum Valley and ends at the site of the original tollgate. This valley and its surrounding mountains form the watershed for the headwaters of Town Creek. Gurgling Town Creek travels alongside the turnpike. At times it is at a distance, in other places it is immediately by the trail and along much of the pike, it is just over the earthworks.

Native flora line the trail - foam flower, blood root, Indian paint brush, rhododendron and some impressively large Solomon’s seal. All this beauty even as the trail goes through stands of dead and dying hemlocks.

The 3.6 round trip Logan Turnpike Trail is an excellent beginning backpacker’s trip as well as a great day hike. The drive up the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway to the trailhead alone is a joy unto itself.

The Lumpkin Coalition is a non-profit organization based in Lumpkin County that was established to save hemlock trees. Its mission has expanded to care for trails and rivers in an effort to support a healthy environment.

Visit www.lumpkincoalition.org or www.fs.usda.gov/conf for more information.