When hikers ask which trails in Georgia are worth a full day — or several — the conversation always circles back to the same handful of routes. Below we've ranked the ten longest hiking trails in Georgia by total mapped distance, drawing from the 8,326 trails OutsideAtlas currently tracks in the state. Each entry includes the distance, what makes the route distinctive, and an honest note on who should actually attempt it.
Georgia hosts the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain — the Blue Ridge in the north gives way to piedmont, coastal plain, and the Sea Islands. The Appalachian Trail's 75-mile Georgia section is the country's most famous starting line; the Bartram and Benton MacKaye add hundreds more miles. Spring and fall are best; summer is hot, humid, and rattlesnake-active in the mountains.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 8,326 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in Georgia — but the data has limits worth being honest about. OpenStreetMap distance tags are crowd-sourced and inconsistent. A route may appear longer or shorter than the official measurement, especially when long-distance trails (like state and national scenic trails) are tagged in segments rather than as a single relation.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #10. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. Little Owl Village
At 0.70 mi, Little Owl Village tops the list — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.70 mi on a forgiving grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Little Owl Village trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Chickamauga Loop
At 0.60 mi, Chickamauga Loop lands at #2 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.60 mi on a forgiving grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Chickamauga Loop trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Sarah Key Patten
At 0.60 mi, Sarah Key Patten lands at #3 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.60 mi on a forgiving grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Sarah Key Patten trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. Dragging Canoe
At 0.40 mi, Dragging Canoe lands at #4 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.40 mi on a forgiving grade. Compared to similar trails in Georgia, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Dragging Canoe trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. Pinhoti Trail
At 0.20 mi, Pinhoti Trail lands at #5 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.20 mi on a forgiving grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Pinhoti Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. Pinhoti Trail
At 0.20 mi, Pinhoti Trail lands at #6 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.20 mi on a forgiving grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Pinhoti Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. Pinhoti Trail
At 0.20 mi, Pinhoti Trail lands at #7 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.20 mi on a forgiving grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Pinhoti Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#8. Pinhoti Trail
At 0.20 mi, Pinhoti Trail lands at #8 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.20 mi, ground surface on a forgiving grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Pinhoti Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#9. Pinhoti Trail
At 0.20 mi, Pinhoti Trail lands at #9 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.20 mi on a forgiving grade. Compared to similar trails in Georgia, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Pinhoti Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#10. Pinhoti Trail
At 0.20 mi, Pinhoti Trail lands at #10 — a route built for hikers who plan in days, not hours. Expect 0.20 mi on a forgiving grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Plan as a multi-day if you're not used to single-push 20+ mile days; resupply or shuttle logistics matter here. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Pinhoti Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your Georgia trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for Georgia. Spring and fall are best; summer is hot, humid, and rattlesnake-active in the mountains. Rattlesnakes, copperheads, and bears are present in the north Georgia mountains; black flies and chiggers across the lowlands.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More Georgia hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our Georgia coverage continues below.
- Steepest trails in Georgia — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in Georgia — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Most challenging hikes in Georgia — Expert-rated routes for experienced hikers only.
- Best national parks in Georgia — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best waterfall hikes in Georgia — Trails leading to named falls, ranked by accessibility.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in Georgia — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in Georgia — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in Georgia last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
