Big Frog Wilderness
Distinguished by 4,224-foot Big Frog Mountain, the vast majority of this forested mountain Wilderness lies in Tennessee, with only a sliver in Georgia. It borders the Cohutta Wilderness. The Big Frog-Cohutta combination, with adjacent Primitive areas, creates the largest tract of Wilderness on USFS land in the eastern United States. Virginia pine covers the lower elevations, and hardwoods, including white oak, red oak, and hickory, shade the upper. The Wilderness is home to a few deer, wild turkeys, and a mixture of Russian wild hogs released in the 1960s and domestic hogs gone wild. Timber rattlesnakes commonly slither across these trails.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| States | Georgia, Tennessee |
| Size | 8,502 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 35.02° N, 84.51° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
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
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
None of the 8 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
12 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 145 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Benton Mackaye ↗ | 57.9 | |
| Benton-McKaye ↗ | 48.1 | |
| Big Frog Mountain Hiking Trail ↗ | 5.5 | |
| Licklog Ridge Trail ↗ | 5.4 | |
| Hemptop ↗ | 5 | |
| Grassy Gap ↗ | 4.9 | |
| Hemptop ↗ | 4.8 | |
| Big Creek Hiking Trail | 4.1 | |
| Rough Creek | 2.9 | |
| Yellow Stand Lead | 2.3 |
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.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx - Rymer Camp
8 mi from the center point · 381 acres
- PrescribedRx - Buck Branch
28 mi from the center point · 652 acres
- PrescribedPinnacle Kv Rx
41 mi from the center point · 246 acres
- PrescribedNorth Dicks Creek Rx
42 mi from the center point · 201 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
- 5.2 miCentral Headframe ↗Ducktown, TN
- 6.1 miCopperhill Historic District (Boundary Increase) ↗Copperhill, TN
- 6.2 miCenter & Abernathy Store Building ↗Copperhill, TN
- 6.5 miIsabella Managers' Row ↗Isabella, TN
- 7.4 miOcoee No. 1 Hydroelectric Station ↗Parksville, TN
- 7.9 miCopeland House ↗Parksville, TN
- 11.4 miPolk County Courthouse ↗Benton, TN
- 11.4 miWiggins, William, House ↗Benton, TN
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Georgia
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Big Frog Wilderness?
8,502 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Big Frog Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Big Frog Wilderness in?
The boundary crosses Georgia and Tennessee.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Big Frog Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Big Frog Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Big Frog Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 35.018° N, 84.511° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Big Frog Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Rymer Camp at 8 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Big Frog Wilderness?
The National Register has 13 listings within 15 miles, including Central Headframe and Copperhill Historic District (Boundary Increase).
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- 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.