Smithgall Woods State Park: Laurel Ridge Trail (Blog Hike #897)

Trail: Laurel Ridge Trail
Hike Location: Smithgall Woods State Park
Geographic Location: south of Helen, GA (34.69215, -83.76835)
Length: 1.6 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2022
Overview: A short loop featuring a fantastic view of Mount Yonah.
Park Information: https://gastateparks.org/SmithgallWoods
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=921365
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the north side of Helen, take SR 75A south 2.4 miles to the signed entrance for Smithgall Woods State Park on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, and park in the parking lot in front of the Visitor Center.

The hike: When visitors first arrive at Smithgall Woods State Park, they usually notice that this park lacks the nice campground and amenities that many of Georgia's state parks offer, but there is a good reason for that.  The State of Georgia manages Smithgall Woods as a conservation park, meaning that the park exists to preserve the land in its natural state.  As such, motorized vehicles are allowed only in the Visitor Center parking lot, and the rest of the park must be accessed on foot or bike.

            At 5664 acres, Smithgall Woods is one of Georgia's largest state parks.  The park came to be in 1994 when the state acquired the land via a gift-purchase from Charles Smithgall, a noted conservationist and businessman.  In accordance with its conservation park status, the park offers only 6 cottages, 5 picnic shelters, and a primitive campground for amenities.  Therefore, nature does indeed take centerstage here.

            For hikers, the park offers 28 miles of old roads and trails, but only one trail starts at the Visitor Center: the Laurel Ridge Trail described here.  At 1.6 miles in length, the Laurel Ridge Trail is actually the park's longest natural surface trail.  However, because vehicles are only allowed at the Visitor Center, accessing any other trail requires a road walk of at least 0.6 miles one-way.  Thus, this park's longest trail is actually its shortest hike after you factor in the road walk.  Do not despair, for the Laurel Ridge Trail is a good one that leads to a nice overlook with views of famous Mount Yonah.  If you find yourself on vacation in the Helen area, this hike makes a nice lesser-known destination once you have exhausted the area's more famous hiking destinations such as Raven Cliff Falls, Dukes Creek Falls, or Anna Ruby Falls and adjacent Unicoi State Park.

Start of Laurel Ridge Trail near Visitor Center

            From the front of the Visitor Center, walk down the gravel trail that leads east away from the park entrance and then turn left to cross a wooden footbridge.  At the next trail intersection, turn left again to begin a clockwise journey around the Laurel Ridge Trail.  The Laurel Ridge Trail is unblazed, but it is wide and easy to follow for its entire distance.  Numbered posts correspond to an excellent interpretive guide that was available for free at the Visitor Center when I came here.

Climbing through the mountain laurel

            The trail begins its gradual to moderate climb as it weaves in and out of several small ravines and crosses several small creeks on wooden footbridges.  Soon you climb above a larger ravine on the right.  Large amounts of mountain laurel dominate the understory of this second-growth forest, which was logged extensively in the 1930's and 1940's.  The interpretive guide points out a section of trail that follows an old logging road.

Hiking along the ridge

            As you approach the top of the ridge, the dense wet lowland forest is replaced by dryer oak and pine forest.  Just shy of 1 mile, you reach the highest point on this ridge and a southeast-facing viewpoint.  Towering more than 1000 feet above you, famous Mount Yonah occupies the center of this view from nearly 10 miles away.  A colorful interpretive sign identifies Mount Yonah and several lower nearby summits, and a bench beckons you to sit here and enjoy the rewards of your climb.

Mount Yonah in the distance

Box turtle

            Past the overlook, the trail stays on the ridge for a short distance before curving right to descend steeply.  A few small rock outcrops appear here, and I shared the trail with a box turtle on the seasonally cool mid-September morning that I hiked here.  The main park road (closed to vehicles) appears downhill to the left before the descent deposits you on the gravel trail near the Visitor Center.  A short walk on the gravel trail returns you to the parking lot to complete the hike.