Bordering the Chattahoochee at the Tennessee border is the Cherokee National Forest, where you can hike sections of the Appalachian Trail while viewing its impressive wildlife. Also close by is North Carolina's Nantahala National Forest. Sumter National Forest borders Chattahoochee to the east. This South Carolina Forest is said to have made the Chattooga so reputable for its white river rapids. Also nearby is Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
Adjacent to Oconee National Forest is Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, whose 200 species of birds present excellent birding. To the west, you can visit Talladega National Forest in Alabama.