Blood Mountain Overlook — Attraction in Dahlonega

Hiked here and camped overnight at the top. Hint: there's a bunch of hidden camping spots on the "back side" of the summit across the rock face from the main sunset viewing area. It was definitely a strenuous hike and had I known what I was getting into, I probably would have thought twice about bringing my 17 lb, 11 year old dog. He handled it like a CHAMP though and loved every minute of it. I carried about a 25 lb pack so my pace was a bit slower... maybe about an hour and a half to get to the top and another hour and a half to get back down the next day. The temperatures at the top are surprisingly COLD at night, even at the very end of May/beginning of June. Many hammock campers, but I 100% recommend bringing a sleeping pad or underquilt for overnights, yes even in summer. Fires aren't allowed, but many campers build them anyway, just being safe and maintaining small ones on the sides of rock faces, etc. The sunset view at the top is totally worth the tough hike. Be prepared for some sore legs in the...

This is a great hike- from the parking to Blood Mountain Overlook and back took me 4.5 hours, and I stopped at the top for 1 hour. The climb is definitely steep in certain sections (same route up and down), so maybe not the best hike for someone with bad knees. Even if you're fit I would suggest bringing a hiking stick/poles. This time I finally bought a hiking stick for $20 from the Appalachian Trail store which is close to the parking.

Make sure you are constantly looking for the white rectangle markers for the trail, because on the early part of the way down I went down a long section of rocks the wrong way but luckily there was a notice posted saying "This is NOT the AT, go up and take a right" so was able to correct. Save the area offline on Goggle Maps. There is limited connectivity on the mountain itself, and if internet works it is Edge not 4G.

Bring enough water and food, this hike is tiring...

What a view. Camped overnight to catch both sunset and sunrise and it was worth it. Pack light as this is a very strenuous portion of the AT. On the way back down to Nela Gap via BH Reece we passed a number of families on the trail and I must say that this is not a portion of the AT I would consider bringing you children on. This is definitely a hard hike. You ascend 2000 feet of elevation in 2 miles over rough terrain. My dog did ok but I wouldn’t consider bringing my daughter until she’s at least high school aged. A side note: there are no campfires permitted in the area or at the summit. I saw lots of evidence of them along the way but it...