Grassy Mountain Tower Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, GA
miles
LENGTH 5.3 MILES
DIFFICULTY 6.3 Easy
Medium
DURATION 2-3 hours
ELEVATION GAIN
850
feet
TRAIL TYPE
There And
Back Again
Grassy Mountain Tower

Hike around Lake Conasauga, Georgia's highest elevation lake, before trekking up to Grassy Mountain and catching views from the fire tower at the summit. While you can't access the top of the fire tower, you can still climb above the tree line for some of the best views in the area.

Begin at the picnic and day use area at Lake Conasauga. To connect to the Tower Trail you can go either way around the lake, it's almost exactly the same distance either way. This description goes around counter-clockwise. Following the lake shore, hike past the campground, following a gravel road for less than a tenth of a mile before the trail branches off, staying close to the lake.

At two thirds of a mile, turn away from the lake on the signed trail for the Songbird and Tower trails. The Songbird Trail forms a lollipop loop that shares a short section of this hike, so you'll pass two intersections with it on the left, staying right at both. The Songbird Trail also makes for an alternate trailhead or add it for a little extra mileage. After the second intersection, the trail begins to get steeper.

At 2.2 miles the trail ends at a forest service road with no blazes in sight. Continue along the road, staying right to continue to the summit. If you're going downhill, you're going the wrong way. At just over 2.6 miles you reach a clearing at the summit of Grassy Mountain and the fire tower at the top. The top of the tower is blocked off, but you can climb up to a small platform two thirds of the way up. This will get you above the trees, giving you views in all directions.

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Elevation Map Length (miles) by Elevation (feet)
Slope Breakdown
Elevation Gain
Elevation Range
Grade Range
Length
Elevation Gain
0 - 250 ft/mi
~ 0 - 5 %
1.5 mi
170 ft
250 - 500 ft/mi
~ 5 - 10 %
0.6 mi
214 ft
500 - 750 ft/mi
~ 10 - 15 %
0.4 mi
249 ft
750 - 1000 ft/mi
~ 15 - 20 %
0.2 mi
212 ft
1000+ ft/mi
~ 20+ %
336 ft
81 ft
For out-and-back hikes, elevation loss is the same as the gain.
Terrain Map Click to control map
Navigation
0.0 mi
0.0 mi - Trailhead, Stay Right Park at the Lake Conasauga day use area. As you approach the lake, stay right at several small intersections to head around counter-clockwise.
0.46 mi
0.46 mi - Campground, Gravel Road At the campground area, the trail joins the gravel road. Follow the road along the lake for less than a tenth of a mile before returning to a trail at the sign.
0.66 mi
0.66 mi - Turn Right Take the trail on the right at the sign for the Tower and Songbird trails.
1.0 mi
1.0 mi - Turn Right First intersection with the Songbird Trail at the sign.
1.23 mi
1.23 mi - Turn Right Second intersection with the Songbird Trail at the sign.
2.21 mi
2.21 mi - Forest Service Road, Turn Right Connect to the forest service road. Stay to the right to continue to the summit. If you're going downhill you're going the wrong way.
2.6 mi
2.6 mi - Grassy Mountain Summit and Tower
Details
length5.3 miles
difficulty6.3 Easy-Medium
duration2 - 3 hours
features Dog Friendly  Lake  Summit  Views 
trail typeThere And Back Again
blazeGreen, but very few.
elevation gain850 ft.
state Georgia 
park/forestChattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
ranger districtConasauga Ranger District
3941 Highway 76
Chatsworth, GA 30705
706-695-6736
parking fee$2/vehicle
trailhead coordinates 34.857776, -84.650667 (Degree Decimal, DegDec)
N 34°51.47, W 84°39.04 (Degree Minutes, MinDec)
N 34°51'28'', N 34°51'28'' (Degree Minutes Seconds, DMS)
Trailhead Directions
34.857776, -84.650667 (Degree Decimal, DegDec)
N 34°51.47, W 84°39.04 most GPS units use this one
N 34°51'28'', N 34°51'28'' (Degree Minutes Seconds, DMS)
Google Map It
See road conditions in notes below.
Parking Capacity
25-30 vehicles.
Notes
A higher ground clearance vehicle is suggested as you'll be driving 10 miles on rough gravel roads. I did see a couple sedans but image they had to navigate around many ruts and potholes.
Many forest service roads close during winter months. For current road closures, check fs.usda.gov/alerts/conf/alerts-notices or for a full google map, check fs.usda.gov/goto/road_status. Click on each road in the google map for closure information.
The campground and day use area are closed for the season on October 31st, usually opening by April 1st depending on weather. Trails should still be accessible until January when the roads close and open again by early March. Check out the road closure links above.
October 2019: Restrooms and drinking fountains are currently out of order until repairs are made. Because of this, there is currently no parking fee.
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Reviews / Comments
Average Review Rating
5 (1)
hikethesouth-5 years ago
Lake to View
Nice secluded lake views then a relatively easy climb up to Grassy Mountain. You can't access the top of the fire tower but you still get great views from the platform below. The stairs up are secure but a bit wobbly and steep, so not the best for those that get dizzy at heights.
Easy-Medium | Hiked Fall 2019
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