Bear Creek Camping Area

Grab your Chattahoochee National Forest map (an absolute must here) and set up camp in a flat alongside Mountaintown Creek. The camp is accessed via a wooden bridge over Mountaintown Creek, making it a de facto walk-in tent campground. But don't look for picnic tables, grills, and other amenities here. The only attributes (aside from two toilets) are natural: towering white pines and shade producing hemlocks.

Mountain bikers will want to ride a half-mile from the campground to the Bear Creek Trail. Make your way to the Gennett Poplar, a massive old tree preserved by the Gennett Brothers who logged this area a century ago. Beyond the Gennett Poplar, the trail splits. Head right on the Bear Creek loop for a seven-mile pedal, or head straight to reach Forest Road 68, which returns to camp past the Barnes Creek Picnic Area. An all-day ride involves heading over to the upper Mountaintown Creek Trail and rolling down that scenic highland valley. Before you come, make sure you find a map—it'll make your trip go much more smoothly.