Georgia Hikes: Fort Mountain Lake Loop Trail
The Lake Loop Trail at Fort Mountain State Park is a beautiful 1.2 mile hike around Fort Mountain Lake. This hike offers scenic lake views the entire way around.
The hike along Fort Mountain State Park’s Lake Loop Trail is scenic at any time of year. This flat trail is both kid-friendly and dog-friendly and is an easy hike.
About Fort Mountain State Park
Located in the Cohutta Mountains in Chatsworth, Georgia, Fort Mountain State Park is a popular destination for hiking, camping, horseback riding, and mountain biking. The 4,058-acre state park features a 17-acre lake, backcountry trails, a large stone fire tower, and an ancient rock wall.
Hiking the Fort Mountain Lake Loop Trail
There are lots of spots to access the Lake Loop Trail: the campgrounds, cottage areas, picnic area, and picnic shelter #5, and the Big Rock Trail parking area.
We just made our way down past the picnic area by the boat docks to find the worn path that circles the lake. The trail is blazed blue, but you won’t really need to worry about following the blazing; the path is well worn, and you simply need to follow it around while keeping the lake on your right hand side. Following the lake in a clockwise direction is the easiest route.
The hike passes by the campground where there are some access points to the water. You’ll pull away from all the noise and commotion as you round the east side of the lake.
About a third of the way through, you’ll pass a red-blazed trail that leads to the Goldmine Creek Trail. Continue to follow along the south side of the lake.
The entire hike around offers scenic views across the water. You can watch as people kayak and boat on the lake.
A little over halfway, the trail passes by picnic shelter #5 and curves around the west side of the lake. Along this side, the trail follows alongside the road for a short ways, buffered by the guard rail.
The trail curves around to the north side of the lake, passing by a lakeside cabin before passing by the playground and picnic area and then crossing over the lake’s sandy swimming beach.
The Lake Loop Trail completes back at the boat docks and picnic area at about 1.2 miles.
Hiking Essentials
Come prepared for your hike by making sure you pack the essentials. Check out this must-have hiking gear before you set off on the trails:
Things to Do Near Fort Mountain State Park
After your hike, you may also want to get outside the park to explore more of North Georgia. Here are some great nearby attractions and itineraries:
Ready to visit Chatsworth, Georgia? Plan your trip with these tips.
- Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
- Find Accommodation: You can find top cabins in Chatsworth using VRBO.
- Start Packing: Make sure you’ve packed everything you need with my packing list resources.
Cheers!
Paige
Would you hike the Fort Mountain Lake Loop Trail? Let me know in the comments!
