Fort Mountain
Fort Mountain rises to 868 m in Georgia. Cowpen Mountain stands 1,264 m to the northeast, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Mill Creek Falls (2) 50, a waterfall 0.8 miles away. Cohutta-Chattahoochee Scenic Byway passes 0.7 miles off.
The story
Fort Mountain is a mountain in northern Georgia, just east of Chatsworth. It is part of the Cohutta Mountains, a small mountain range at the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. It also lies within the Chattahoochee National Forest. A main feature of Fort Mountain is an ancient rock formation or ruin of uncertain origin, from which the mountain takes its name. The site lies within Fort Mountain State Park and consists of a series of stone piles lying in a long uneven line that follows the contour of the mountainside. Estimates of its length vary. In a previously published archaeological report, Philip E. Smith (University Of Georgia) gives 928 feet (283 m) as its length, while the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (State Parks Division) estimates the length as 855 feet (261 m). In a book published in 1997, David Freedman, discussing this and similar walls, wrote that "Most experts believe that such wall enclosures were built during the Middle Woodland period (100 BCE-500 CE) when agriculture and food storage methods were well established. This enabled people to live a more settled existence and to devote their energies to large-scale building projects which perhaps would have taken generations to complete." A stone fire tower, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and located in the park, marks the summit of the mountain. A hiking path around the park leads up to a scenic overlook of Cool Springs Valley. The park also has a mountain lake, cabins, camping, and public facilities. Two main highways cross Fort Mountain connecting the counties of Murray and Gilmer, Georgia. A steep, curving scenic route, Georgia SR 52, runs east-west between Chatsworth and Ellijay, affording views of the Cohutta Mountains; there is at least one overlook with parking. Organizations located on that route include Fort Mountain State Park and Global Youth Ministry. Southeast of Chatsworth, SR 282 crosses the mountain, running concurrently with SR 2/US 76 from Ramhurst to East Ellijay.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q5471724, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 868 m
How to reach it
- 0.7 mi off the Cohutta-Chattahoochee Scenic Byway
- 21.9 mi off the Ocoee Scenic Byway
- 22.4 mi off the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- West Overlook · 1 mi
- Cool Springs Overlook · 1 mi
- Fort Mountain Scenic Overlook · 2 mi
- Tatum Lead Rd · 4 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Fort Mountain State Park: 1.6 mi
- Fort Mountain State Park: 1.7 mi
- Murray County Veterans Memorial Park: 2.9 mi
- Chatsworth City Park: 3.4 mi
- North Murray: 5.9 mi
- Cohutta Mountain: 2.2 mi
- Beaver Mountain: 2.5 mi
- Chestnut Knob: 2.9 mi
- Camp Ground Mountain: 3.5 mi
- Tatum Mountain: 4.2 mi
- Chief Vann House State Historic Site: 6.5 mi
- Red Apple Barn: 11.4 mi
- Engelheim Vineyards Tasting Room: 14.6 mi
- Potato Hill Civil War Battlefield Park: 15.9 mi
- Expedition: Bigfoot - The Sasquatch Museum: 18.9 mi
- Memorial Wall: 13.9 mi
- Rifle: 13.9 mi
- Veterans Memorial: 14.2 mi
- Conasauga Native Americal Wall: 15.7 mi
- Harlan's Cross Roads: 17.0 mi
- Mill Creek Falls (2) 50: 0.8 mi
- Emery Creek Lower Falls (1,2) 60, 15: 5.5 mi
- Emery Creek Upper Falls (3,4,5) 15, 40, 15: 5.7 mi
- Barnes Creek Falls 25: 7.8 mi
- Jacks River Falls 80: 15.2 mi
- Fincher Bluff: 9.3 mi
- Panther Bluff: 10.4 mi
- White Cliffs: 12.4 mi
- Ellijay Cross: 15.0 mi
- Rocky Face: 17.1 mi
- Tabor House Museum: 14.2 mi
- Whitfield County Historical Museum: 15.0 mi
- New Echota State Historic Site Museum: 20.2 mi
- Talking Rock Schoolhouse Teaching Museum: 22.2 mi
- Old Stone Church: 22.5 mi
- Shady Beach: 20.5 mi
- Shady Beach: 20.6 mi
- Parksville Beach: 22.6 mi
- Poop Island: 24.7 mi
- Cohutta Wildlife Management Area: 10.3 mi
- Talking Rock Nature Park: 19.5 mi
- Squidbillies Early Cuyler Statue: 16.0 mi
- Face: 17.7 mi
- Lake Conasauga Picnic and Swim Site: 6.2 mi
- Potatopatch Spring: 7.6 mi
- Rest Area #35: 20.2 mi
- Due: 24.5 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 16.4 miles of Fort Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowpen Mountain | NE 46° | 1,264 m | 10.6 mi |
| Bald Mountain | NE 39° | 1,222 m | 7.3 mi |
| Little Bald Mountain | NE 38° | 1,126 m | 6.6 mi |
| Grassy Mountain | NNE 22° | 1,125 m | 5.9 mi |
| Three Forks Mountain | NE 51° | 1,101 m | 10.5 mi |
| Flat Top Mountain | ENE 68° | 1,094 m | 12.9 mi |
| Potatopatch Mountain | ENE 59° | 1,085 m | 7.3 mi |
| Buckeye Mountain | NE 35° | 1,074 m | 12.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:43 | 19:18 | 19:51 |
| June solstice | 06:27 | 20:19 | 20:56 |
| September equinox | 07:28 | 19:04 | 19:37 |
| December solstice | 07:43 | 16:53 | 17:32 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Nov.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 41 | 44 | 51 | 60 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 72 | 61 | 50 | 43 |
| Precip in | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 5.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Chatsworth 2, 4 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/358717084
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