USFS · Georgia

Brasstown Wilderness

This steeply rugged Wilderness drapes across the northern, northeastern, and southwestern flanks of 4,784-foot Brasstown Bald Mountain, the highest point in the state. A Forest Service visitor center is located on top of the mountain just outside of the Wilderness. This center provides a panoramic view of the Wilderness. Here you'll find boulder fields, rock formations, and streams cascading through narrow gorges, giving way periodically to waterfalls. Second-growth hardwoods dominate this flora-rich region, highlighted in spring and summer by a profusion of wildflowers. Deer, squirrels, ruffed grouse, black bears, woodcocks, and wild turkeys can be found.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness12,853 acresUSFSGADesignated 19867 campgrounds within 10 mi3 trails
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Brasstown Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
2 fires
active
Rx - Buck Branch (prescribed burn) · 39 mi from the center · 652 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateGeorgia
Size12,853 acres
Designated1986, by Congress
Center point34.88° N, 83.82° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

Boundary map

1 outline

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Brasstown Wilderness30°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, 7 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 →

None of the 7 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.

FS · 3.7 mi
Upper Chattahoochee River Campground
Reservable19 sites
FS · 5.5 mi
Jackrabbit Mountain
Reservable92 sites
FS · 6.1 mi
Andrew's Cove Campground
Reservable10 sites
FS · 7.1 mi
Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area
Reservable34 sites
FS · 8.2 mi
Wildcat Creek Campground #2 Upper
First-comeGA
FS · 8.7 mi
Wildcat Creek Campground #1 Lower
First-comeGA
FS · 9.8 mi
Desoto Falls Recreation Area
Reservable23 sites

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

3 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 15 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Wagon Train ↗5.6
Arkaquah ↗5.3
Jacks Knob ↗4.4

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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx - Buck Branch

    39 mi from the center point · 652 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx - Rymer Camp

    39 mi from the center point · 381 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 Register listings within 15 miles · 9 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 Brasstown Wilderness?

12,853 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Brasstown Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Brasstown Wilderness in?

Georgia.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Brasstown Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1986.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Brasstown 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 Brasstown Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.880° N, 83.819° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Is there a fire near Brasstown Wilderness right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Buck Branch at 39 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Brasstown Wilderness?

The National Register has 9 listings within 15 miles, including Towns County Jail and Old Union County Courthouse.

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.