Springer Mountain Loop via Three Forks

Springer Mountain is an incredibly popular day hiking option in northern Georgia due to itas proximity to Atlanta and the significance of the mountain as the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail that spans 2,190 miles from Maine to Georgia. The Benton Mackaye Trail (BMT) also calls Springer home, named after the Massachusetts forester and regional planner that first had the idea for the Appalachian Trail in 1921. Following the AT somewhat along a northbound course, the BMT terminates some 300 miles north at Davenport Gap in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, crossing through Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina along the way. The summit of Springer is forested, but it offers several neat overlooks at the summit and along the BMT if hiked as a loop from Three Forks, which is accessible from a Forest Service road north of Springer. This gives the hiker a varied loop with several viewpoints in addition to the significance of visiting the origins of the AT itself. Hikable in both directions, you can take either the AT or BMT from the Three Forks parking lot to the summit of Springer up an easy to intermediate grade, with the option of taking the other back to your vehicle. Make sure to sign the register hidden in the metal box at the summit!