It's Time to Head for the Mountains

(Picture Disclaimer:  the leaf shots are from my personal file; they do not reflect the current state of color in the mountains)

Nothing purges a long, hot summer for me like heading for the mountains in the fall.

So I'm going to show you my favorite day trip that combines both leaf viewing and apple buying in one day trip.

From Chattanooga, there are two main highways into the trans Cherokee/Chattahoochie territory.

The northern route heads through Cleveland along Highway 64 up the Ocoee River.  Then take 68 south to Copperhill.

Or you can take the Georgia route, through Chatsworth along highway 2 over Fort Mountain into Ellijay.  This takes you by the Cohutta Lodge, which boats the best restaurant view in the Tennessee Valley.

Once I make it over the mountains, I go apple shopping.

There are two apple "super stores" and several other apple houses in the Ellijay/ Blue Ridge corridor.

Here's how to find them.  If you've never been on the apple trail, there's a lot more to choose from than just a red or yellow apple.

You'll get a choice of half a dozen or more varieties (and you usually can sample).  Then there are the other apples products, like bread, jams and cider.  Here's a look at the big ones.

Panorama Apples (next door to Penland's Apple house) gets a lot of traffic from Atlanta on Highway 5 south of Ellijay.

It was packed this weekend thanks to the Apple festival.  In fact, the line was so long, I didn't even try to buy anything.

Growers tell me they've lost 50-75% of their crop because of the late freeze.

But they still have plenty of apples for us tourists (though they admitted they had to import Fuji apples from Virginia and North Carolina)

Mercier Orchards is on Highway 5 between McCaysville and Blue Ridge.  They are the biggest and offer the most variety of apples. 

Pink LadyI'm learning to be quite an apple snob.  They tell me they've got all local apples in the store, even though they lost a huge crop this year.  Two of my favorite varietes are late apples and still haven't come in yet. 

Gold RushGold Rush is a tart yellow with hints of a pear taste.  And the Pink Lady is my current favorite.. perfect blend of tart and sweet. 

Both varieties should be ready by the second week of November, though some could trickle in earlier.  Mercier also has begun bottling their cider like wine. 

You now can buy them in bottles made from a specific apple variety.  I can really tell the difference between Fuji and Pink Lady cider.

Once I've loaded up on apples, cider, pies and bread.. it's time to head for the mountains.

Last year, I had good luck wandering down highway 60 southeast of Blue Ridge near the headwaters of the Toccoa (you can see the pictures.)

And you just can't beat the 360 degree view from Buck Bald (This is a well kept secret on hwy Buck Bald68 just inside the Monroe County line in Tennessee).

But each year I've got to take my back route through the heart of the Chattahoochie Wilderness.

I take it back toward Chattanooga.  The jumping off point is Highway 5 between Blue Ridge and and McCaysville.  Take one of the small roads just north of the Fannin County Medical Center (like Old Highway 2).  But you don't have to be precise. 

The roads will funnel you into a mountain cove, which turns to dirt.  But don't worry.  It's in excellent shape. 

You'll climb a mountain ridge that displays the fall colors to great affect. 

The drive takes you over several mountains and into the Jacks River camping area.  A couple of hours later, you'll come out the other side at Cisco, just south of the Tennessee/Georgia border.  There is a lot of winding around.  But I've found this is the best way to get up into the colors without someone on your back bumper.

So if you're new to the area, you've got to give the mountains a try this time of year.  It's certainly worth investing an afternoon or even a lifetime to explore.