Today’s hike is courtesy of Times Free Press editor Alison Gerber.
I love Cloudland Canyon State Park but it is often heavily used. A nearby option is the Marble Mine Loop in Chattooga County, Georgia, which combines several trails, provides some beautiful scenery and has easy and challenging portions.
The loop is within James H. “Sloppy” Floyd Park, at the base of Taylor’s Ridge in the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Marble Mine Loop
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 4 miles
- Difficulty: Rated moderate, but there are some very steep climbs
- Time: About 2 hours
- Traffic level: Moderate to low
- Drive time from downtown: 1 hour
- Dog-friendly: Yes
- Directions and more information
Here are some highlights of the trail:
– The Marble Mine Trail leads to the entrance of an abandoned mine at a rock outcrop and a small lake that sometimes is a dramatic blue. Depending on how much it’s rained, a small stream trickles over the top of the mine into the lake.
– The trail passes several mining buildings now in ruins and covered in vines.
– A 4-mile loop combines five separate trails including part of the Pinhoti Trail.
– Park at the picnic area parking lots, where you’ll also find clean restrooms, or at the Pinhoti parking lot. At the start, follow the orange and purple trail markers. The orange markers guide you to the Marble Mine Trail; the purple lead toward the Upper Lake Loop Trail.
– About 1 mile in, you’ll find the abandoned Marble Mine. The temperature is always a little cooler by the lake and in the shade of the rock outcrop. A boardwalk extends below the rock overhang allowing a glimpse into the cave.
– Lots of people just go to the Marble Mine Trail and turn around at this spot, so this portion of the trail is the most busy. For a more challenging and far less-trafficked hike, continue past the mine and follow signs for the Pinhoti trail, climbing up Taylor’s Ridge. Be warned that the trail is narrow and extremely steep.
– At 1.6 miles, you will connect with the Pinhoti Trail. After about a half mile, the trail comes to a junction with the Jenkins Gap Trail.
– After the trail levels off, it splits to the right. Follow the blue trail markers, which direct you to the Pinhoti parking area. Follow the Backcountry Trail (yellow markers) until you reach the lake. Follow signs for the Upper Lake Trail, which rejoins the Marble Mine Trail.
Parts of this hike are strenuous, and the trail can be slippery after a rain. Consider taking hiking poles if you have them.
For more info on Sloppy Floyd Park, go here.
Happy trails!