National Forest History

The Chattahoochee National Forest covers almost 750,000 acres and spans 18 Georgia counties. This area is home to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. It contains the headwaters of every major river in North Georgia, and offers hundreds of waterfalls, mountain lakes and abundant wildlife. Vogel State Park, within the borders of the Chattahoochee National Forest, is Georgia's second oldest state park.
Many of the camping areas in the Chattahoochee National Forest was originally Cherokee country, and the remnants of that great civilization are in evidence all around. They considered this to be their "Enchanted Land." Cherokees farmed the Blue Ridge mountain areas during temperate seasons, and left the area during the winter for warmer climbs. Early colonial settlers discovered the agricultural wealth offered by this area, and they moved into the area to farm and harvest the forest. Unfortunately, the harvesting of the forest placed the environment at great risk, and in the early 1930's the federal government bought the mountain land and created the Chattahoochee National Forest to prevent further damage and to reforest the area.

The Forest Service purchased 31,000 acres in four North Georgia counties in 1911 for $7 per acre. In the beginning, the Chattahoochee was part of the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests in North Carolina and Tennessee. Many of the early purchases were old homesteads and abandoned farm lands. On July 9, 1936, the Chattahoochee National Forest was proclaimed as a separate National Forest. At that time, Forest Service managers began to restore these lands by planting trees, fighting wildfires, controlling erosion and introducing wildlife and fish back into their natural habitat. As a result of a concentrated effort by the Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources personnel, the deer and trout populations which had been virtually eliminated, were brought back to today's healthy and productive level. Today's estimate of the deer population is more than 30,000 animals and a turkey population of over 6,000 birds. Likewise in 1970, the bear population on the Chattahoochee totaled 106 bears. After 20 years of continually managing the habitat for this animal, the Chattahoochee today boasts a healthy bear population of more than 650 animals.