Wildcat Tract in Dawson Forest
Nov 17th, 2009 by Admin 1
Wildcat Tract Trails
Nearest Town: Jasper, Georgia
Trailhead Location: Monument Road Dawson Forest
Trail Length:
Tobacco Pouch Trail - 2.0 miles
Fall Creek Trail - 3.3 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Directions: From 575 go South on 53 approx. 1.8 miles, take a left on Burnt Mtn. Rd (which becomes 136) for approx. 10.8 miles, take a right on Monument Rd. After about (2.1 miles) the paved road will become a gravel road. Continue on gravel road for about 0.8 miles. Trailhead Parking on left (covered sign).
Last Friday I was able to get out of the house for a couple hours and hike some trails I’ve never been on which was nice. The two trails I ended up hiking were located in the Wildcat Tract, a 4500 acre area in the Dawson Forest maintained by Mountain Stewards Organization.
I started out on the Tobacco Pouch Trail (blue blaze) which took me east down a quiet dirt road initially. I passed by a road marked with a white blaze to my left which is the Fall Creek Trail and continued on. Near the top of the last of several ridges there is a closed gate preventing automobiles from continuing further where the road narrows and begins its descent down the other side of the mountain getting progressively steeper as you go. The trail has quite a bit of uneven terrain and leaves currently cover loose rocks making the path appear deceptively smooth so be careful if you hike this trail.
The Rocky Ford Trail branches off to the right about 1.2 miles in on the Tobacco Pouch Trail but I chose to continue on. At the bottom of the hill the trail intersected with the Fall Creek Trail which heads two directions. I wasn’t sure about any of these trails so I figured I’d go left this time and try the other way on another trip. It was about 3:45 and I knew time was limited if I was going to return to my truck before sunset. I remembered the white blaze leading off the trail near the beginning of my hike along the Tobacco Pouch Trail and my instincts told me this trail looped back to it but I wasn’t sure. Before long I began to hear the sound of rushing water so I was too curious to return to the Tobacco Pouch Trail and decided to try my luck with it. I am glad I did because this happened to be where three of the largest waterfalls in the area are located.
As the trail meets the stream (above) and turns abruptly left you can hear the third of three waterfalls just right of the trail through the woods. The trail followed the stream up to a sign where a short trail leads to the second waterfall. I took it and snapped a quick shot (below) and got back on the trail knowing I didn’t have long before the sun went down.
A long ascent lay in store for most of the rest of the trail. I wasn’t sure how much further it was or if it even led back to my truck but at this point turning back wasn’t a possibility so I kept going. I figured I had about 25 more minutes of daylight tops at this point. Just then, I came across someone’s print-out of information on this trail system and though most of it was illegible from sitting out in the rain, the portion on this trail was clear as day. I began reading while I hiked and it looked like no more than 1-1/2 miles so I ended up making it back with about 5 minutes of light to spare.
In my opinion, this trail system has some of the best hikes near Jasper and if you are traveling a ways to get here it is well worth the extra 5-6 miles or so past the nearest trail - The Burnt Mountain Preserve Trail which you pass along the way.
walking on the trails is possible if u are doing tent camping. as only than u can walk and explore the parks and campgrounds fully and can have hiking experieces too.
the most interesting part in traditional camping, is the hiking and i love that part. as if one want to keep closer with nature that he should went for hiking and to explore nature.