Bobby Brown Park near Elberton, GA (Blog Hike #202)

Trails: History and Cades Nature Trails

Hike Location: Bobby Brown Park

Geographic Location: southeast of Elberton, GA (33.96727, -82.57435)

Length: 2.2 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Dates Hiked: September 2006, September 2013

Overview: An easy to moderate hike featuring great views of Clarks Hill Reservoir.

Park Information: http://www.bobbybrownpark.com/index.html

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=188597
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Elberton, take SR 72 east 14 miles to Bobby Brown State Park Road.  Turn right and proceed south 7 miles on Bobby Brown State Park Road to the park entrance.  Pay the small fee to enter the park.  Where the park road forks, take the right fork, proceeding through the campground.  The trail starts at the cul de sac where this park road ends, but the road is gated a few hundred feet before the cul de sac.  Thus, you will need to park outside the gate and walk the last segment to the trailhead.

The hike: Long before the Army Corps of Engineers built the dams that created some of the largest lakes east of the Mississippi, the Savannah River served as a major commercial highway linking the cotton and timber-rich hills to the north with the major ports of Augusta and Savannah to the south.  One of the critical stops on journeys up and down the Savannah River was the town of Petersburg where the Broad River joined from the west.  Situated along a section of rapids not navigable by boat, goods would be loaded into canal boats at Petersburg in preparation for the final leg of their journey to Augusta and beyond.  In fact, in the 1790’s Petersburg was the third largest city in Georgia.

            As canal traffic succumbed to the railroad so did Petersburg.  By the Civil War era Petersburg was an insignificant town, and in 1954 when the Savannah River was dammed to create Clarks Hill Reservoir (called Strom Thurmond Lake in South Carolina), the foundations marking the remnants of Petersburg disappeared under the lake waters.  While this and the other dam projects succeeded in destroying some history, they also succeeded in creating what we know today as the “Great Lakes of Georgia,” a paradise for water activities of all kinds.

            The Great Lakes of Georgia are lined with parks in both Georgia and South Carolina.  Situated on the peninsula between the Savannah and Broad Rivers, Bobby Brown Park (formerly known as Bobby Brown State Park and Bobby Brown State Outdoor Recreation Area) is one of those parks.  In addition to ample lake access, the 665 acre park also boasts a 61-site campground, several picnic shelters, and a pair of short hiking trails offering great lake views.

            Since the trails connect various areas in the park, there are several places from which you could start a hike.  I suggest starting at the cul de sac described above to avoid parking at more crowded areas of the park.  Begin at a grey, triangular, granite marker commemorating Fort James.  Built along the river in 1773, the fort provided protection for settlers and, a little later, for the town of Petersburg from Indian attacks.  The fort site is also now underwater.

Historical markers at trailhead

            Look for a red carsonite post with an arrow and the hiker symbol on it and follow it’s leading to the rear of the cul de sac and a wooden vehicle gate.  Some trail guides with numbers corresponding to wooden posts on the trail may be available at this gate.  Go around the gate and begin a gentle descent on a wide dirt trail.  Soon the Broad River arm of Clarks Hill Reservoir comes into view on the right as the trail continues descending through mixed pine/hardwood forest similar to that found in most state parks in the Piedmont.

            At 0.3 miles the trail arrives at a wooden overlook platform located just above lake level.  Though the view does not look encouraging from the ground given all the trees surrounding the platform, climbing the short set of steps to the platform will yield a nice, clear view of the reservoir looking southeast.  A marsh land to your left increases the odds of seeing egrets, herons, turtles, and perhaps even a bald eagle.

View of Clarks Hill Lake

            At the platform the trail makes a wide 180 degree left turn and begins heading north with the marshy area to the right and the hillside climbing to the left.  Remaining near lake level, the trail heads north, using some wooden bridges to pass over some wet areas.  The campground can be seen through the trees on the right, and buildings near the parking area can be seen uphill to the left.  0.8 miles from the trailhead, the trail begins a moderate climb which terminates behind the campground dumpsters at the campground access road.

Hiking near the lake

            To shorten the hike, you could turn left here, head out to the main park road, and then turn left again to return you to the parking area.  However, another excellent trail, the Cades Nature Trail, can be found across the campground access road and behind the playground at a red, wooden sign that says “nature trail.”  This trail begins a short, but fairly steep descent to the first of two small streams that feed Clarks Hill Reservoir.  The calm waters of these streams support a large population of frogs and turtles.

Hiking the Nature Trail

            After passing through the second ravine, the trail ascends to pass in front of the park lodge, then descends to a trail intersection.  The two trails that depart left and right here form a small loop, so you cold go either way.  To save the highlight of this trail for last, this description will turn left here and use the right trail as the return portion of the loop.

            The trail descends to pass around a final inlet on the right before curving left in an open grassy area.  After one more moderate ascent the trail ends at a park road and the trailhead sign for the Cades Cove Nature Trail.  Since this point marks the farthest point from your car on this hike, you will need to turn right here and head down the boat launch road.  80 yards down the road, you will come to the highlight of the hike, a wooden swinging bridge that crosses over the inlet you just hiked around.  Although the bridge looks a bit intimidating, in fact it is well anchored to keep the sway to a minimum.  Even a person scared of heights, such as myself, should have no difficulty crossing this bridge, admiring the lake to the left as you cross.

Suspension Bridge

            On the far side of the bridge sits the lodge, and the trail curves right as a concrete ramp leads uphill to the lodge.  200 feet later, the loop is closed.  A left turn at this intersection will lead you back to the campground access road.  Remember that the trail across the access road does not lead directly back to the parking area, so you will need to angle right and head out to the main park road.  150 yards of walking along the main park road will return you to your car and complete the hike.