USFS · Georgia

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in Georgia.

National Forest1.8 million acresUSFSGA48 campgrounds within 10 mi59 Forest Service sites248 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
2 fires
active
Rx - Rymer Camp (prescribed burn) · 33 mi from the center · 381 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateGeorgia
Size1.8 million acres
Forest Service code0803, region 08
Center point34.71° N, 84.12° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

5 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 5.85 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowFebruary: 4.76 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowMarch: 5.56 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowApril: 5.15 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 4.49 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 5.57 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.88 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 5.27 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.42 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 4.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 4.68 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 5.46 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.4°F averageFebruary: 40.5°F averageMarch: 47.1°F averageApril: 55.0°F averageMay: 63.0°F averageJune: 70.2°F averageJuly: 73.5°F averageAugust: 72.6°F averageSeptember: 67.2°F averageOctober: 56.7°F averageNovember: 47.0°F averageDecember: 40.6°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Blairsville Exp Stn, 14 miles from the center point at 1,949 feet, station USC00090969 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 60 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 3 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

33 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 15 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Andrew's Cove Campground
Reservable10 sites
FS · Inside
Boggs Creek Recreation Area
First-comeGA
FS · Inside
Cooper Creek Campground
Reservable25 sites
FS · Inside
Cottonwood Patch Campground
Reservable8 sites
FS · Inside
Deep Hole Recreation Area
Reservable9 sites
FS · Inside
Desoto Falls Recreation Area
Reservable23 sites
FS · Inside
Dockery Lake Recreation Area
Reservable11 sites
FS · Inside
Frank Gross Campground
Reservable8 sites
Show 4 more

36 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 59

The Forest Service lists 59 recreation sites in this forest, among them 30 campgrounds, 3 trailheads, 3 boat launchs, 3 shooting ranges. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 59

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 248 named trails in this forest, 838 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Appalachian Trail ↗76.6
Pinhoti ↗70.3
Benton Mackaye ↗57.9
Bartram ↗35.8
Duncan Ridge ↗30
Jacks River ↗15.9
Willis Knob Horse Trail ↗14.1
Toccoa Canoe Trail ↗13.4
Conasauga River ↗11.9
Stonewall Falls Mountain Bike ↗11.4

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 248 trails in Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx - Rymer Camp

    33 mi from the center point · 381 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx - Buck Branch

    44 mi from the center point · 652 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Military Park · 9 mi
Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
National Historical Park · 14 mi
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
National Preserve · 14 mi
Little River Canyon National Preserve
National Register listings within 15 miles · 456 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Georgia

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking Georgia
    Donald Pfitzer and Jimmy Jacobs, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 50 Hikes in the North Georgia Mountains
    Johnny Molloy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Afoot and Afield: Atlanta
    Marcus Woolf, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests?

1.8 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests in?

Georgia.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.711° N, 84.120° W. Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park is 9 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Rymer Camp at 33 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests?

Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park (9 mi), Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park (14 mi) and Little River Canyon National Preserve (14 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests?

The National Register has 456 listings within 15 miles, including Traveler's Rest and Chieftains.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.