Big Frog on the BMT

A short overnight backpacking trip on the Benton Mackaye Trail Section 11 in Tennessee provided two favorite summertime treats: swimming holes and ripe berries. Perfect for the intense heat!

Section 11 of the BMT climbs gradually from a low point at the Ocoee River (1120 feet) up and over the summit of Big Frog Mountain (4224 feet), namesake mountain of the Big Frog Wilderness, and then down to Double Springs Gap at the Georgia/ Tennessee border.

Ocoee River

The start of the hike crossed over several dirt roads but then finally entered the wilderness. Following old logging roads made for easy hiking.

Former logging roads turning back to nature.

 Ripe red raspberries grew in thickets along the old roads. Sweet and juicy. The taste of summer.

All mine.

It felt great to enter into the wilderness area. The Big Frog Wilderness of Tennessee borders the Cohutta Wilderness of Georgia. Combined, they form the largest tract of Wilderness USFS land in the eastern US. This section only had "winter views" which meant that there were only partial views obscured by leaves. But at least I could imagine the vastness.

Once in the wilderness, the BMT follows the West Fork of Rough Creek, one of the prettiest places I've been to in the southeast. Hemlock and great rhododendron in full bloom line the banks of this sweet bubbling stream.

Massive pink blossoms filling the air.

Plunging into a bubbling creek on a hot summer day might just be one of the greatest pleasures in life. I splashed around for what seemed like hours, with butterflies and jewelwings dancing around my head. A lazy lunch on mossy rocks while soaking my feet, until my feet turned to prunes. Even though I've had some pretty epic swims in the last few years, this one stands out for the lovely wildflowers, insects, and jacuzzi-like water, and because it was so intensely hot out.

Definitely one of the best swims EVER!

Azures all around.

Long tunnels of mountain laurel

Even though there were only obscured views through the trees, the ridgewalking went on for miles. And there was a wonderful sense of being up high.

 Big Frog Mountain (4,224 feet elevation) is named by the Cherokee for the spring frog, which emerges early in the season. I didn’t get to see any frogs, but salamanders were out roaming before the storm.

A woodland salamander prowling around

Other wildlife was abundant. I startled two black bears who ran off.

This timber rattlesnake stayed put on the trail. So I was the one who went the long way around.

On the approach up Big Frog Mountain

Once I got to the top, I continued south down over the crest. A steep mile or so that descended a bit over a thousand feet. The turn around point of my trip was Double Springs Gap, which indeed has two springs, one on either side of the Tennessee Divide. One side goes out the Conasauga River to the Tensaw River to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile Bay. The other spring flows to the Ocoee River and eventually to the Mississippi. After cooling off at both springs, I turned around and climbed back up Big Frog, and descended more gradually going northbound.

Evening.

Storms came rolling through in the evening, but not before I had set up for the night. I'd forgotten just how much I love the sound of rain on my tarp. The skies cleared the next morning for the quick hike back to the river.

A sub-24 hour trip, but it was good to get out!

Red-spotted purple butterflies are a great example of a Batesian mimic. They show similar coloration to the unpalatable pipevine swallowtail, so predators are fooled into not eating them even though they are palatable.

More information 

I did this as an out and back from Thunder Rock Campground, which has good parking for BMT hikers.

Here is the trail guide from the BMT association

A Quick and Dirty Guide to the BMT

A sort-of quiet trip on the BMT

A weekend backpacking trip on the Benton Mackaye Trail sections 1 and 2 in Georgia.

Following the white-dimonds

I was looking for some peace and quiet after a busy week and the BMT is usually good for solitude. After hiking the Approach Trail last weekend, a visit to Springer Mountain from the other direction seemed appealing. Access to the trailhead at Little Skeenah Creek via GA 60 is easy, maximizing hiking time.

Marker on section 1 of the BMT, located just after the first split with the Appalachian Trail.

I’ve previously hiked these sections of the BMT during winter but it felt like a completely different experience in the heat of summer.

Bright green tunnel.

Fortunately, there are plenty of streams, springs, and even a river on this section for cooling off.

The Toccoa River Bridge is the longest Swinging Bridge east of the Mississippi at 270 feet.

Great rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) was still blooming along the river.

A downside of summer is that the no-see-ums were out in force. Constantly buzzing, make kamikaze trips into my eyeballs, and produce itchy welts. Oh what fun. 

Female ebony jewelwing were plentiful as well.

Ticks marched up my legs and I picked them off one by one, rippping off their heads with my fingernails. Because I'm only a friend of nature sometimes.

Long Creek Falls near Three Forks is where the BMT joins the AT.

The one mile section of the BMT that shares tread with the AT south of the falls felt like a superhighway. There was even a family with a parade of children pushing a stroller up the trail that made me smile because I like seeing kids outside. Quite a contrast to the quiet of the BMT.

Wide tread where the AT and BMT join.

The view from Owen's Overlook, just a few hundred feet off the BMT, provided more expansive views than Springer Mountain.

I choose a campsite near an open field that I hoped would provide clear views of the evening sky. The openness was a relief from the long green tunnel of the BMT. I haven't gotten used to the closed-in feeling of eastern forests after being out west these past few years.

So-called Bald.

Perhaps if I’d read the trail notes, the low-flying helicopters that flew directly over me as I hung in my hammock at the edge of “The Bald” wouldn’t have been so terrifying. Apparently the clearing is used by the US Army Rangers for training. But at least they only flew over a few times. Making this a quiet trip over-all, with a few notable exceptions.

More information

I did this hike as an out-and-back starting at GA 60 and hiking south on the BMT to Three Forks where I did a loop with the AT/BMT to Springer Mountain, and retraced my steps back to GA60.

The Benton Mackaye Trail Association's website has trail information and good trail notes.

A Quick and Dirty Guide to the BMT