Southern Nantahala Wilderness
The Cherokee Indians thought of the Blue Ridge Mountains as the Great Blue Hills of God. These original inhabitants named the shady forests and deep, dark gorges Nantahala, or Land of the Noonday Sun. Later, settlers saw this same area as fodder for their mills. They removed virtually every piece of good timber that was at least 15 inches in diameter from the main drainages of the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, what is today Southern Nantahala Wilderness and shared by North Carolina and Georgia. The main line of that railway ran along the Nantahala River, and evidence of it still exists. Steep, rugged, reforested country cut by numerous streams and old drainages characterizes the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| States | Georgia, North Carolina |
| Size | 23,364 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 35.00° N, 83.56° 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 9 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.
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Trails
15 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 188 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Trail ↗ | 76.6 | |
| Anst - Nantahala Rd ↗ | 52.5 | |
| Chunky Gal ↗ | 20.9 | |
| Big Indian Loop ↗ | 8.2 | |
| Beech Creek ↗ | 6.4 | |
| Anst - Tusquitee Rd ↗ | 5.8 | |
| Lower Trail Ridge | 4.2 | |
| Timber Ridge | 3.8 | |
| Kimsey Creek | 3.7 | |
| Deep Gap Branch | 2.4 |
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
- PrescribedRx - Buck Branch
44 mi from the center point · 652 acres
- PrescribedRx - Rymer Camp
50 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
- 1.7 miKilby, James Henry and Rachel, House ↗Clayton, GA
- 3.8 miTowns County Jail ↗Hiawassee, GA
- 4.1 miHodgson, Asbury and Sallie, House ↗Dillard, GA
- 4.5 mi
- 5.7 miYork House ↗Mountain City, GA
- 8 miClay County Courthouse ↗Hayesville, NC
- 8.1 miMoore, John Covington, House ↗Tusquitee, NC
- 10.3 miWilson Log House ↗Highlands, NC
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.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Southern Nantahala Wilderness?
23,364 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Southern Nantahala Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Southern Nantahala Wilderness in?
The boundary crosses Georgia and North Carolina.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Southern Nantahala Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Southern Nantahala 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 Southern Nantahala Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 34.996° N, 83.561° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Southern Nantahala Wilderness right now?
2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Buck Branch at 44 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Southern Nantahala Wilderness?
The National Register has 24 listings within 15 miles, including Kilby, James Henry and Rachel, House and Towns County Jail.
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.