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Northeast Georgia HikingNew & Old Friends Who Like to Hike

April 23, 2019

Sosebee Cove & Coosa Backcountry Trail, GA

Distance
5.5 mi

Sosebee Cove Trail and the Coosa Backcountry Trail - GA

April 23, 2019

Today's hike was on two trails in Union County, GA. The Sosebee Cove Trail is a very beautiful short trail in an old growth forest featuring one of the richest wildflower habitats in the southeastern U.S. The Coosa Backcountry Trail is nearby and is a 12.7 mile loop beginning and ending at Vogel State Park. Today we hiked an out and back hike to Wolf Creek.

TRAIL INFO. - Sosebee Cove is a beautiful short trail in a botanical paradise that was last logged in 1903. It is a memorial trail to Forest Ranger Arthur Woody. Woody loved the north GA mountains and created the first wildlife management area in the South. The trail features huge trees and a wide variety of wildflowers and plants. The nearby Coosa Backcountry Trail is a 12.7 mile loop that begins and ends at Vogel State Park. Our portion today was from Burnett Gap to Wolf Creek and back.

Directions: Take highway 129 N. out of Cleveland, GA and continue past Neels Gap and Vogel State Park . Just past the entrance to Vogel State Park, turn left (west) on GA Hwy. 180 and travel 4-5 miles. Look for the Sosebee Cove sign on the right. Next, we accessed the Coosa Backcountry trail back down the road about a half mile toward Vogel State Park. The trail crosses Hwy 180 here at the start of a Forest Service Rd.

Another great day for a hike! Fair and mild with temperatures ranging from mid 60's to 72 degrees F.

Distance hiked - 5.5 miles. Difficulty: Sosebee Cove - Easy - Coosa Backcountry - Moderately Strenuous due to elevation change.

Hikers (19)

  • Jenny Bell
  • Mike Bell
  • Ray Clark
  • Joe Collins
  • Bob Drake
  • Joe Drake
  • Greta Driggers
  • Angela Evans
  • Stephen Gales
  • Pat Gallaher
  • Jim Gallaher
  • Jenna Hensley
  • Ray Lovett
  • Beth McDonald
  • Jan Nethery
  • Bruce O'Connor
  • Jeanne O'Connor
  • Tony Presley
  • Vic Robson

Flowers in bloom

Large-flowered Trillium, White Erect Trillium, Red Toadshade Trillium, Catesby's Trillium, Star Chickweed, Showy Orchis, Blue Cohosh, Wild Geranium, Yellow Mandarin, Cut-leaved Toothwort, Broad-leaved Toothwort, Downy Yellow Violet, Sweet White Violet, Spurred Violet, Purple Violet, Halberd-leafed Violet, Umbrella Leaf, Foam Flower, Bellwort, Meadow Rue, Field Buttercup, Hooked Buttercup, Robin's Plantain, Cinquefoil, Dwarf Crested Iris, Pink Lady Slipper, Solomon's Seal, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Flame Azalea, Squaw Root and Wild Strawberry

Birds identified

Carolina Wren, Chipping Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, White Breasted Nuthatch, Black & White Warbler, Oven Bird, Towhee, American Crow, Chickadee, Blue Jay, Pine Warbler and Junco

Photos (14)

  • Our first trail today
  • Headed down Sosebee Cove
  • This huge Yellow Buckeye tree is one of the largest in the Eastern U.S.A.
  • It takes at least five people to reach around it!
  • We saw quite a few of these! Many other wildflower photos at the bottom of the page.
  • Next, on the Coosa Backcountry, we come to a two part Waterfall and the trail passes between them.
  • The upper portion of the falls.
  • "Another Great Day for a Hike!"
  • Crossing the footbridge at Wolf Creek.
  • Wolf Creek
  • We rarely see Long-spurred Violets but they were plentiful near Wolf Creek.
  • Our Elevation Profile today.
  • Our Path today.
  • The OFHC gang for today's hike. (l-r front) Mike Bell, Pat Gallaher, Bruce O'Connor, Jo Drake, Greta Driggers, Jeanne O'Connor, Angela Evans, Jenny Bell and Jenna Hensley.(l-r standing) Joe Collins, Jim Gallaher, Tony Presley, Bob Drake, Beth McDonald, Ray Lovett, Jan Nethery, Stephen Gales, Ray Clark and Vic Robson..