Rich Mountain WMA/Cartecay River Tract Hike/Swim

Beat the heat!  Get in some mountain river swim time!  This is a beautiful spot in North Georgia just over an hour's drive from Atlanta.  I hope you can make it for this fun hike. 

This is a loop trail that starts outside of East Ellijay in the Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA).  The trail winds down to the Cartecay River and then back up. We will be hiking around some of the loops for 4 - 5 miles then winding up at the river spot where we will hang out on the rocks for a picnic lunch,  some sun, and a swim.  Once we've had enough - probably around 2 and 1/2 hours total - we'll head back to the cars.

Total hike and lunchtime are approximately 4.5 hours.

The total drive time is approximately 2.5 hours.

Best guess is that we'll be back at Busby Park n Ride between 4 and 5p.  

The State of Georgia Department of Natural Resources administers this area.  It is classified as a Wildlife Management Area and therefore requires an individual user fee.  So, unfortunately, each person is asked to purchase a fishing license [good for one year from purchase date] for $15.00 [plus the internet convenience fee of $2.50].  Sounds a little odd I know.  Here is what the DNR has to say about the fee on their website:

GORP License

GORP Licenses are no longer available. A license that includes the privilege to hunt or fish on state lands is all that is needed to shoot on state shooting ranges, or be on state WRD lands. All persons 16 and older on designated state WRD lands must have an individual basic hunting or fishing privilege. An individual WRD Lands Pass is optionally available for those that have objections to purchasing hunting or fishing licenses, but the cost for the Lands Pass is higher to make up for the loss of federal funds that come with hunting or fishing licenses. Most persons not hunting or not fishing will still want the basic hunting or fishing license; the least costly basic fishing or hunting license for short-term or annual use will suffice for basic access.

Here is where you go to purchase your license:

https://license.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com/Licensing/Catalog.aspx

FYI, I will not be checking to see if you have a license.  Purchasing it is up to you.  It is possible that we will be asked by an agent to show our license.  When that has happened to my groups in the past, they generally let you off with a warning.  However, they may also issue a citation with a fine.  We can't predict it!  On the other hand, the fee is used to support wildlife conservation in Georgia.  I keep my license as a file on my phone.  

Here is the hike and elevation profile.  Zoom in to view it.