Camping at Three Forks
Mar 24th, 2009 by Admin 1
Nearest Town: Ellijay, Ga
Directions: Take 575/515 to Ellijay and head East on 52. Go about 4.8 miles, take a left onto Big Creek Rd. Go about 14 .7 miles , when pavement ends, continue about 4.4 miles. Take a right onto FR 58. After you enter the Blue Ridge Wildlife Mgmt area camping is allowed in designated areas along the creek or you can continue to the Three Forks camping area adjacent to the Benton MacKaye trail.
Campsite Fee: FREE
Campsite Amenities: Stone fire ring, some have tent pads
We headed up to Three Forks on Friday afternoon to take advantage of the nice weather. We planned on camping at the sites next to the Benton MacKaye trail, but we spotted a really nice creekside site along FR 58 before we got there. The site we picked had a huge tent pad, two fire pits, lots of area for the kids to roam, and about 500 feet of frontage on Noontootla Creek. It was great for our family of four, but could easily have accommodated three more tents and a lot more people.The site was pretty clean and free of trash considering there are no trash cans there so you have to pack your own out.
Our site was right next to the road, but was situated below it so if cars went by, it wasn’t that noisy and still felt very private. The sites are so spread out (about 1/4 mile apart) that the occasional sign of life was welcomed. We personally enjoy the seclusion, but it’s a luxury we are not always afforded while camping.
This is a great location for fishing or hiking the Benton McKaye and Appalachian Trails. Definitely check out Long Creek Falls. It’s a great place to picnic or let the kids play for a while.
Your site is quite informative!! We are getting ready to head up to this site for a day hike/picnic Saturday and I was wondering how easy it is to locate? Meaning I have now idea what FR 58 is and have spent more time than I care to mention scouring Google Earth. Any additional driving hints would be warmly welcomed! Thanks for all your work on this site it is truly appreciated!
Josh
FR 58 is a Forest Road which are typically dirt or gravel (watch for pot holes) giving you access to the Appalachian Trial, Benton MacKaye Trail, Long Creek Falls and fishing along the Noontootla Creek. If you follow the directions above and then take a right on Forest Road 58 you will see these campsites along Noontootla Creek on your right which are basically large clearings approved for camping.
Thanks for checking out the site and let me know if you need any additional information. I will see what I can do to help! Make sure you check out Long Creek Falls while your there.
http://www.campnpost.com/hikes/long-creek-falls/
Its either FR or FS for forest service. seems to change depending on where you go but there both usually just a dirt road in the mountains.
Found it without a problem! What a great site for camping. Thanks again for the site; we would have never found so many great places so close to Canton!
Josh,
You are more than welcome! Thanks very much for the kind words and continuing to give us great feedback. We’re glad the site is helpful to you guys and its in large part why we wanted to start campnpost. We hike and camp a lot and its not always easy to find accurate information on a particular trail or camping spot so we figured we’d give it a shot.
IS THIS CAMPING AREA SUITABLE FOR A POP UP TRAILER? IS IT FLAT TO SET UP? ARE THE ROADS MANAGEABLE?
Great web site, thanks for all the great information! I had been told about this camp site before and I’m looking forward to trying it out now that I have learned where it is (thanks to your site).
No problem Mike, glad we could help out if even in a small way. Hope you have fun out there!
me and a friend were want to come down from ohio and camp fiday and saturday March 19&20 could we get a spot? and can you drive a car to the site?
Dustin,
There are a number of sites along the river and during this time of year its usually not that crowded. No guarantees and its a long drive but I’d say you guys should be able to get a spot. If not, there are more spots where it intersects with the A.T. a little ways up the road and a few more spots at the top of FR 58 but I’d recommend staying lower in elevation to keep warmer.
Thanks for the great info. Aside from harrassment from a park ranger, we had a great time. We were able to set up our hammocks literally a few feet from the stream and sleep peacefully to the sounds of a bubbling brook. If anyone’s looking for something fun to do whil they’re there there always tubing and kyaking on the cartegay river in elligay. Off HWY 52, theres a rental place. talk to woody, cause he’s the man. my dog swam the whole river. rapids and all !!! Fun times
Excellent ideas here, have emailed my mum so expect a big reply!!
Nice post, keep up the excellent work