Off-Roading on Tray Mountain Jeep Trail near Helen, GA
With the crunch of gravel under our tires and the endless Appalachian views, off-roading the Tray Mountain Jeep Trail with a Jeep enthusiast is a wild adventure. And though Tray Mountain Road is an easy off-roading trail that is recommended for beginners, it is not for the faint of Jeep.
Are you a beginning Jeeper looking for an accessible trail that can give you the exhilarating feeling of scaling a rugged mountain road with nothing but your jeep and the wild outdoors? Then a journey along the Tray Mountain Road Jeep trail near Helen, Georgia is the perfect adventure for you!
I hopped in my friend’s classic red Jeep and he took us on an adventure along Tray Mountain Road. With miles of off-roading trails through secluded wood and breathtaking views of the Appalachian Mountains, this trail is both a challenge and a reward for beginners.
So, buckle up and put your Jeep in four-wheel drive — it’s time to explore the Tray Mountain Jeep Trail in Georgia!
About Tray Mountain Road
Tray Mountain Road is a US Forest Service Road (Forest Road 79) in North Georgia near Helen. It’s a gravel and dirt road with potholes, rocks, and ruts made from water runoff.
Overall, it’s not considered a very difficult road for off-roading, and it’s usually recommended to beginners.
There are locations for camping along the trail, and one of the most popular destinations along the road is the Tray Mountain Summit Trail from Tray Gap, which follows a portion of the Appalachian Trail to the summit of Tray Mountain.
My Experience Off-Roading the Tray Mountain Jeep Trail
On the only cold day in October, I found myself in the front seat of a red Jeep Wrangler with no doors as the blustery wind attempted to freeze out all of my fun.
In the back seat sat my husband Kevin and in the driver’s seat beside me sat our Jeep enthusiast Justin. These are the people I blame for my half-frozen nose as we drove up I-85.
After a couple hours, we made our way off the highways onto the back roads and eventually onto Tray Mountain Road, a forest service road used for off-roading recreation.
It’s a one-lane dirt road with a few juts and crevices that may be challenging, but overall Tray Mountain Road is considered an easy trail for beginners.
We started on the trail off of Chimney Mountain Road.
Kevin and Justin, who had driven this trail once before, decided this was the easier route — going up the east side of the mountain and exiting down the gravel portion of the road on the west onto GA-75, rather than coming down the east side of the mountain as they had before and as most of the off-roading guides suggest.
Along the Trail
At the beginning of the trail, we rocked along alone without passing but one Jeep coming the opposite direction. Off to the side were a couple places to pull of and camp. The trail had been fairly easy going for the most part with mostly rocks to go over and few crevices to navigate.
We soon found other off-roaders and plenty of fellow Jeep enthusiasts to chat with. You’ll find plenty of first-time off-roaders along the trail.
Over halfway through the drive, we came upon a spot with a set of four or five large ditches that can be a challenge for beginners. There is space to pull off along the trail and let others pass if you feel you need to take a particularly bumpy part more slowly.
We took the trail until it reached a large clearing at Tray Gap that serves as the parking area for the Tray Mountain Summit trail. We took this opportunity to hop out, stretch our legs on the 1.5 mile hike to the summit and back where we were treated to beautiful fall Appalachian mountain views.
The road back down the mountain is an easier gravel trail that’s well-maintained and suitable for any type of car to drive on. Here, the road takes you out to GA-75, which heads right into Helen where you can end your trip with some German-themed fun.
Tray Mountain Jeep Trail Info
Location: Tray Mountain Road near Helen, Georgia
Difficulty: Easy, perfect for beginners
Length: About 7 miles
Road Surface: Part dirt road with ruts and potholes, part well-maintained gravel road
Top Helen Tours
- 2 Hour Culture Tour in Helen
- Heavenly Helen Amazing Race & Tour
- 2-Hour Helen Haunts and History Walk Tour
- Helen Mystery Picnic Date
Where to Stay in Helen
Find the perfect place to rest your head on your visit to Helen, from the top rated accommodations to unique stays you can’t get anywhere else.
- Where I Stayed: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Helen
- Top Cabin Rental: Serenity Ridge Cabin
- Top Helen Hotel: Valhalla Resort Hotel
- Great for Small Groups: Helen Duplex
- Unique Stay: Alpine Village Inn
More Helen Travel Tips
Find more fun things to do in and around Helen, GA with these top posts:
- 3 Days in Helen: Weekend Itinerary for First-Timers
- 25 Fun Things to Do in Helen
- Hiking Anna Ruby Falls in Helen
- 11 Free Things to Do in Helen
- Unicoi Lake Loop Trail at Unicoi State Park
- Walking the Helen to Hardman Heritage Trail
- 12 Best Restaurants in Helen (That Aren’t Just German Food)
- North Georgia Mountains Day Trip Itinerary: Helen & Dahlonega
- Unicoi State Park: Tips for Your Perfect Visit
- Top North Georgia Wineries for a Weekend Getaway
- Unicoi to Helen Trail at Unicoi State Park
Ready to visit Helen, 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 cabin rentals in Helen using VRBO.
- Start Packing: Check out my packing list resources so you’re prepared for your trip.
- Explore Helen in a New Way: Enjoy a Mystery Picnic Date in Helen to discover more of the town.
Cheers!
Paige
Have you been off-roading on Tray Mountain Road Jeep Trail? Tell me about it in the comments!
Dear Paige:
We have a house just outside Helen, off spur 255, which gives us a huge view of the entire Tray Mountain Wilderness. We’ve always wanted to get closer than the 12 miles from the summit that we see every day, but never really pursued it to find out if such an adventure could be had. We have plenty of pickup trucks, but they’re nice and we try to keep them clean, and we don’t want to take them into dangerous territory. Still, we’d like to make the trek. We’ll probably be at our house on Sautee Ridge Road October 28-November 4 this year, and depending on weather, we might want to do a full day of traversing the mountain by jeep, if this service actually exists. We do NOT want transport in an open jeep, but a comfortable and well-heated one. There are four of us, all elderly adults with several replaced joints among us, so we don’t want to do anything really stressful, but would enjoy seeing our house from the Tray summit 12 miles away! Please contact me if you can provide any info. You’ll see from my website that I’ve visited about 50 countries and hunted in most of them, so off-road adventures are not new to me, though the memory fades with the passage of more years.
I wish I could be more help, but I don’t know of any service like this, though that would be a great business opportunity for the area! Perhaps looking into a rental car agency in the area might find you a Jeep or a pick-up truck that’s suitable? Best of luck!