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Oconee National Forest

The Oconee National Forest is roughly half way between Macon and Athens, Georgia. The government established the forest to reclaim farm land ruined by erosion, and although pine trees now stabilize the soil, you can still see some of the erosion gullies. Although we are concentrating on hiking and camping opportunities, the region includes several large artificial lakes suitable for motor boats.

Note: Like all National Forests, hiking and camping are allowed anywhere except where specifically prohibited. However, many parcels of land in the area are not part of the National Forest. Please respect the private landowners' rights.

Caution: Hunting is also allowed anywhere in the National Forest, except where specifically prohibited. We recommend you stay away from active hunting areas, unless you are familiar with the hazards and appropriate precautions. Hunting is prohibited in certain popular recreation areas. Also, the whole National Forest is free of hunting certain parts of the year. Contact the ranger station for details.

Sites listed alphabetically

Point of Contact

Oconee Ranger District
1199 Madison Road
Eatonton GA 31024
(706)485-7110
fax (706)485-7141
The ranger station is located on US Highway 129/441, 6.4 miles north of the city of Eatonton. While you are there, you might want to check out the Rock Eagle effigy, a prehistoric relic and public picnic area just 0.3 miles further north.

References

Official Web Site

The official web site for the Chattahoochee- Oconee National Forest has been expanded, and now includes information on some of the natural sites we recommend. Even though the official site lacks detail about the trails, it is useful to check it before travelling to the trail. This is because the official web site does provide information whether the trail is open.
There are several ways to navigate the official site. We provide instructions for the natural sites we recommend. To get a list of all the Oconee Forest natural sites that currently have web pages, follow these instructions:

Maps

Some of these sites are somewhat hard to find, so we recommend a map. The National Forest Service web site has inline Google Maps, however Google Maps is not optimized for Forest Service roads and doesn't show the trails at all. The brochure "Trails of the Chattahoochee- Oconee National Forests" is somewhat outdated, but provides the best available maps for many of the trails. The general Oconee National Forest map is the best for finding the trailheads, and it shows most of the actual trails. Digital copies are available from a vendor who has a link on the official web site. Professionally printed copies are available for sale at the ranger station and some camping goods stores. One of the advantages of the professionally printed forest map is it is waterproof.
This page is just a starting point. Once you decide which sites you might visit, we strongly recommend you contact the owner or manager for the latest information on features, access, and safety.
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David Farrier, farrier@iglou.com

Last edited 23 January 2012.