Blood Mountain Wilderness
Legends tell of the gory battles waged between Creek and Cherokee Indians atop 4,458-foot Blood Mountain, but today the site is famous for being the highest point in this Wilderness. Scenically rugged mountain peaks, rocky outcroppings, waterfalls, and numerous streams, most of which lie within the Chestatee Wildlife Management Area, surround the mountain. The vegetation is primarily second-growth upland and cove hardwoods. Deer, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, and squirrels live here, and there are also black bears and raccoons. Small and big game bring in quite a few hunters. The Desoto Falls Scenic Area, with its waterfalls, marks the eastern boundary. Just across U.S. 129 lies Raven Cliffs Wilderness.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Georgia |
| Size | 7,742 acres |
| Designated | 1991, by Congress |
| Center point | 34.72° N, 83.96° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11) |
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 10 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
10 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 130 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Trail ↗ | 76.6 | |
| Duncan Ridge ↗ | 30 | |
| Coosa Backcountry ↗ | 11.3 | |
| Dockery Lake | 3.2 | |
| Slaughter Creek | 2.7 | |
| Bear Hair Gap | 2.6 | |
| Freeman | 1.8 | |
| Byron Herbert Reece | 0.7 | |
| Woods Hole Shelter Spur | 0.4 | |
| Bear Hair Gap Spur | 0.3 |
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
39 mi from the center point · 381 acres
- PrescribedRx - Buck Branch
46 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
- under 0.1 miBlood Mountain Trail Shelter ↗Blairsville, GA
- under 0.1 miWalasi-Yi Inn ↗Blairsville, GA
- 7.6 miUnion County Jail ↗Blairsville, GA
- 7.6 miOld Union County Courthouse ↗Blairsville, GA
- 9.6 miLumpkin County Jail ↗Dahlonega, GA
- 9.7 miDahlonega Courthouse Gold Museum ↗Dahlonega, GA
- 9.8 miHolly Theatre ↗Dahlonega, GA
- 9.9 miSeven Oaks ↗Dahlonega, GA
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 Blood Mountain Wilderness?
7,742 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Blood Mountain Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Blood Mountain Wilderness in?
Georgia.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Blood Mountain Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1991.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Blood Mountain 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 Blood Mountain Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 34.717° N, 83.956° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Blood Mountain Wilderness right now?
2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Rymer Camp at 39 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Blood Mountain Wilderness?
The National Register has 13 listings within 15 miles, including Blood Mountain Trail Shelter and Walasi-Yi Inn.
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.