Georgia · Trail 217

Sumac Creek Trail

Sumac Creek Trail is a 6.5-mile trail in Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, Georgia. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end34.9247° N, 84.6769° W · Directions ↗
Other end34.9121° N, 84.7111° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length6.5 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers217
ForestChattahoochee-Oconee National Forests (unit 0803)
StatesGeorgia
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Sumac Creek Trail40°50°60°70°80°January: 4.88 inches of precipitationFebruary: 4.71 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.26 inches of precipitationApril: 5.02 inches of precipitationMay: 4.64 inches of precipitationJune: 5.54 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.43 inches of precipitationAugust: 4.30 inches of precipitationSeptember: 4.32 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.45 inches of precipitationNovember: 4.56 inches of precipitationDecember: 5.39 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 40.5°F averageFebruary: 44.0°F averageMarch: 51.4°F averageApril: 59.5°F averageMay: 67.4°F averageJune: 75.1°F averageJuly: 78.5°F averageAugust: 77.6°F averageSeptember: 72.0°F averageOctober: 61.0°F averageNovember: 50.2°F averageDecember: 43.3°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Chatsworth 2, 11 miles from the trail midpoint at 710 feet, station USC00091863 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 58 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed year-round
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Rx - Rymer Camp

    20 mi from the trail midpoint · 381 acres

  • Prescribed
    Pinnacle Kv Rx

    28 mi from the trail midpoint · 246 acres

  • Prescribed
    North Dicks Creek Rx

    30 mi from the trail midpoint · 201 acres

  • Prescribed
    Keown Falls Rx

    31 mi from the trail midpoint · 1,232 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Guidebooks for Georgia

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking Georgia
    Donald Pfitzer and Jimmy Jacobs, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 50 Hikes in the North Georgia Mountains
    Johnny Molloy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Afoot and Afield: Atlanta
    Marcus Woolf, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Sumac Creek Trail?

The Forest Service records 6.5 miles under this name in Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Sumac Creek Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking are allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Sumac Creek Trail start?

The line begins at 34.9247° N, 84.6769° W and ends at 34.9121° N, 84.7111° W. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Sumac Creek Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Sumac Creek Trail?

Hickey Gap Campground (1.4 mi), Lake Conasauga Campground (4 mi) and Cottonwood Patch Campground (4 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 4 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Sumac Creek Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Sumac Creek Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Sumac Creek Trail?

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, Forest Service unit 0803. The trail is in Georgia.

Source: Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests official page

Is there a fire near the Sumac Creek Trail?

The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Rymer Camp at 20 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Sumac Creek Trail in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0803. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.