Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area
Ball Mountain–Rich Mountain, 5 sights
13.6 mi · ▲ 2,336 ft · 5 hr 42 min
Ball Mountain–Rich Mountain, 5 sights is a 13.6-mile out-and-back in Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area near Three Forks, GA. The route passes Rich Mountain before reaching Ball Mountain at the turnaround, 6.8 miles in. It climbs 2,336 ft, with sections as steep as 16% grade. It scores 90/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Ball Mountain–Rich Mountain, 5 sights
13.6 mi · ▲ 2,336 ft · 5 hr 42 min
Elevation 2,525–3,737 ft
Out & Back · Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area
Trailhead: 34.63692, -84.16231
Weather Sep 7: Overcast, high 82°F / low 66° · precip 17% · wind 10 mph · sunrise 7:14 AM · sunset 7:58 PM
- Start at the trailhead, heading SW.
- 50 ftSharp right, heading W.
- 50 ftBear right, heading NW.
- 150 ftTurn left onto Noontoola Road, heading NW.
- 2.4 miTurn left onto Appalachian and Benton MacKaye Trail, heading W.
- 400 ftSharp left onto Benton MacKaye Trail, heading SW.
- 1.9 miPass Rich Mountain.
- 250 ftBear left onto Appalachian Trail, heading SW.
- 1.6 miSharp left onto Benton MacKaye Trail, heading SE.
- 0.8 miReach Ball Mountain, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.8 miSharp right onto Appalachian Trail, heading S.
- 1.6 miBear right onto Benton MacKaye Trail, heading NW.
- 2 miSharp right onto Appalachian and Benton MacKaye Trail, heading N.
- 400 ftTurn right onto Noontoola Road, heading NW.
- 2.4 miTurn right, heading SE.
- 150 ftBear left, heading SE.
- 50 ftSharp left, heading SE.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
More from this trailhead
- Noontoola Road 3.2 mi · ▲ 417 ft
- Appalachian and Benton MacKaye Trail via Noontoola Road 4.9 mi · ▲ 590 ft
- Noontoola Road 10.4 mi · ▲ 980 ft
- Appalachian and Benton MacKaye Trail–Long Creek Road, 3 sights 10.8 mi · ▲ 1,317 ft
- Noontoola Road 12.3 mi · ▲ 1,034 ft
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