Springer Mountain is a mountain located in the

Chattahoochee National Forest The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattah ...

on the border of Fannin and Gilmer counties. Located in the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virg ...

in northern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, the mountain has an elevation of about . Springer Mountain serves as the southern terminus for the Appalachian and Benton MacKaye trails.

Name

The origin of the name of Springer Mountain is unclear. One possible origin was that it was named in honor of William G. Springer, an early settler appointed in 1833 by Governor

Wilson Lumpkin Wilson Lumpkin (January 14, 1783 – December 28, 1870) was an American planter, attorney, and politician. He served two terms as the governor of Georgia, from 1831 to 1835, in the period of Indian Removal of the Creek and Cherokee peoples to I ...

to implement legislation to improve conditions for the Indians. Another possibility was that Springer Mountain was named for the first Presbyterian minister to be ordained in Georgia, John Springer, who was ordained in 1790. The mountain has been called Springer since at least 1910. As late as 1959, some residents of Gilmer County were still calling the peak Penitentiary Mountain. According to the Gilmer County Historical Society, the name was officially changed by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club (GATC). It is unknown why the mountain was named Penitentiary.Logue, Victoria
The Story Behind Springer
1990. Retrieved 26 May 2016. There is no known Cherokee name for the mountain.

Geography

Springer Mountain is a north–south-trending

loaf A loaf ( : loaves) is a (usually) rounded or oblong mass of food, typically and originally of bread. It is common to bake bread in a rectangular bread pan, also called a loaf pan, because some kinds of bread dough tend to collapse and spread o ...

-shaped mountain located on the border of Gilmer and Fannin counties. The summit has an elevation above

mean sea level There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value ( magnitude and sign) of a given data set. For a data set, the '' ...

. Springer Mountain is part of the

that extend from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Springer Mountain divides the northern and southern extensions of the Blue Ridge in Georgia, with one branch heading northwest to the Cohutta Mountains and the other branch heading southwest to

Mount Oglethorpe Mount Oglethorpe is a mountain located in Pickens County, Georgia, United States. The southernmost peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the mountain has an elevation of , making it the highest point in Pickens County, and the Atlanta Metropolitan A ...

. Springer Mountain is located inside the

, as well as the Ed Jenkins National Recreation Area. The mountain is located about east of Ellijay, northwest of Dahlonega and southwest of Suches.

, the original southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, is located about south of Springer Mountain. Other nearby geographical features include Black Mountain, Tickanetley Creek and Winding Stair Gap.

Hiking

Appalachian Trail

In 1958, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail was relocated from

to Springer Mountain. The reason for this relocation was because of increased development around Mount Oglethorpe.Adkins, Leonard. ''Along the Appalachian Trail: Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.'' 2012. . pp. 11. Springer Mountain was considered to be less dramatic than Mount Oglethorpe, but because of its remoteness, Springer Mountain was also considered to be less susceptible to development. One way to climb Springer Mountain is from a parking lot on Forest Service Road 42, located north up the Appalachian Trail from the summit. Hikers desiring to hike north from Springer Mountain would begin by hiking south on the Appalachian Trail before turning around to hike north. At the peak of Springer Mountain is a bronze plaque with the Appalachian Trail logo, a register for hikers to sign, and a benchmark.Springer Mountain Trailhead
usda.gov. Retrieved 26 May 2016. In addition to the Appalachian Trail, Springer Mountain can be reached from the south via the Appalachian Approach Trail.AT Approach Trail: Hiking Amicalola Falls to Springer Mountain
atlantatrails.com. Retrieved 25 May 2016. The approach trail starts at the visitor's center of

Amicalola Falls State Park Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge is an Georgia state park located between Ellijay and Dahlonega in Dawsonville, Georgia. The park's name is derived from a Cherokee language word meaning "tumbling waters". The park is home to Amicalola Falls, ...

and is in length.

Benton MacKaye Trail

Springer Mountain is also home to the southern terminus of the Benton MacKaye Trail. The trailhead for the Benton MacKaye Trail is located around north of the summit.Benton MacKaye, Sec. I
georgiatrails.com. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.Champlin, Eric
Springer Mountain Loop Trail: Hiking the Appalachian Trail & BMT
atlantatrails.com. Retrieved 26 May 2016.Parham, Jim. ''Day Hiking the North Georgia Mountains.'' 2012. Milestone Press. . pp. 155.

Shelters

The nearest shelter from the summit is the Springer Mountain Shelter, located about north of the summit. A

water spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...

is located near this shelter.AT Springer Mountain to Woody Gap
14 September 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2016.Trail Guide
Georgia Appalachian Trail Club. Retrieved 26 May 2016. Another nearby shelter is the Black Gap Shelter, located about south of the summit on the Appalachian Approach Trail.

Gallery

Hiker signing register at Springer Mountain.jpg, A hiker signs the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

register at Springer Mountain SpringMountainScenicMarker.JPG, Appalachian Trail marker Springer Mountain campsite (21990723340).jpg, Campsite on top of the mountain Springer Mountain view.JPG, View from Springer Mountain in May View from Springer Mountain.jpg, View from Springer Mountain in November Springer Mountain and Black Mountain covered in snow (24268378939).jpg, Springer Mountain (left) and Black Mountain (right) covered in snow. Viewed from

East Ellijay East Ellijay is a city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States. The population was 546 at the 2010 census, down from 707 in 2000. East Ellijay was originally the location of Fort Hetzel, one of the Cherokee removal forts built in 1838 to house th ...

References

External links

Georgia AT club

Springer Mountain Hiking & Backpacking Trails

TopoQuest Map of Springer Mountain
* {{Mountains of Georgia (U.S. State) Mountains of Fannin County, Georgia Mountains of Gilmer County, Georgia Mountains of Georgia (U.S. state) Mountains on the Appalachian Trail Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest