Sawnee Mountain Indian Seats Deliver Majestic View

Motivated by pictures and descriptions on our favorite Georgia hiking groups, we headed to Sawnee Mountain Preserve for a weekday hike of the 3.7-mile Indian Seats loop trail. Unlike the usual large weekend crowds and busy trails, we found the park nearly deserted and enjoyed a 2-hour winter stroll.

***Leaving the parking lot off Bettis-Tribble Gap Road, we chose a counter-clockwise route on the loop trail, the shortest route to the views at the summit.***

Unfortunately, we hadn’t done our usual pre-trip research or we might have allowed more time in our day. And we definitely would have planned departure so we could grab biscuits from nearby Guy’s Biscuit Barn as pre-hiking fuel.

Those oversights aside, Indian Seats delivered on the wonderful Blue Ridge Mountain views and easy hiking we desperately needed after cold, rainy winter weather kept us indoors too long.

Views for Miles and Miles

The view from the 1663-foot promontory at Indian Seats delivers an impressive panorama. Thanks to a 2017 Eagle Scout project, a sturdy, safe wooden viewpoint structure with descriptive graphics identifies the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains projecting skyward to the north.

This sturdy, safe viewing platform provides excellent views of the rising Blue Ridge Mountains, some 25 to 40 miles to the north. The railing makes it a safe vantage point for young ones. We chose not to venture to the cliff-side seats to dangle our feet over the precipice.

Amicalola, Hawk, Greasy and Springer Mountains are grouped in the center of the view, approximately 25 to 30 miles away, reaching 3,382 to 3,782 feet. To the right and 39 miles distant as the crow flies, Georgia’s tallest peaks of Blood Mountain and Brasstown Bald tower to nearly 4,800 feet. (Can see back to Sawnee Mountain from Brasstown Bald? Maybe. To determine this, you can visit an hike up, or perhaps just check out the live webcams.)

Closer in, verdant farmlands divided by tree-lined streams and highways flow outward until the wavy mountains rise in the distance.

***Georgia’s tallest peaks at Blood Mountain and Brasstown Bald reach to nearly 4,800 feet and are easy to spot, even 40 miles away as the crow flies.***

Walk through the Woods

While leisure hikers and day visitors are drawn by the views, 11 miles of forest and mountain trails at Sewanee Mountain offer diverse terrain. We intentionally chose the less-busy parking area off Bettis-Tribble Gap Road as our starting point, rather than the more popular entry and visitor center on Spot Road. Walking past the picnic shelters, we turned right and began winding our way up the well-worn path. The trail is marked every 1/10 mile by blue trail guides, numbered to help in emergencies. We gained approximately 300 vertical feet in under one mile of walking to reach the summit and enjoy the expansive views.

This switchback is approximately 350 feet directly below the seats at the summit, on the route toward the Laurel Creek Spur and main entrance. But the upwards view is obscured by trees year-round. Just below here, a wet-weather spring spills across the trail, making for slippery footing.

Continuing the loop after that stop, we turned and twisted down and around while viewing the true 1,970-foot peak of Sawnee Mountain, just across Bettis-Tribble Road and within the 821 acres of the Sawnee Preserve. We plan to do the loop, ridge and peak trails over on that side of the preserve when we return.

Approximately 350 feet below the Indian Seats, the trail makes a hard left switchback over a wet weather spring. But the view to the top is obscured by trees even during winter. From here, it’s a short walk down to the Laurel Trail Spur leading to the visitor center and main entrance. We followed the spur a few hundred yards to visit the Treehouse observation site.

***Local Girl Scouts decorate The Fairy Trail with fanciful creatures and scenes. Even without the grandkids, we detoured to see the birds, fairies, unicorns and trolls staged in the landscape.***

That’s also where we found the Fairy Trail, a project of local Girl Scouts to build fanciful fairy homes placed in the hillscape. By February, the fairy houses had endured a rough winter, with some damaged or toppled. Even without the grandkids, we enjoyed viewing the collection of fairies, trolls, and unicorns occupying the enchanted trail.

Now near the lowest point of the preserve, we returned to the slowly-rising loop trail, gaining 200 feet of elevation as we walked to our starting and end point.

Just the Stats

We tracked our hike on a Garmin Fenix activity tracking watch, which reported 3.45 miles in 1:32:53, including 15 minutes of stops for viewing, photos and navigation. Over the route, we recorded 581 feet of total elevation gain while traveling at an average moving speed of 2.7 mph.

We track our activities with a Garmin Fenix 5 watch, and sync the results to the Garmin Connect App. It helps us recall our trips and monitor our fitness with nice reporting and graphics. With 527 feet of total elevation gain and finishing at a moving pace of 2.7 mph, we rate the loop trail as easy, though other sites rank it as moderate.

Other sites list Indian Seats as a moderate trail. For us, it was an easy trek, with no long or steep climbs and only a few rocky or muddy surfaces. Among others we saw were a mother and two preschoolers enjoying the rocky areas near the viewing location, and they reported no problems (or tantrums!) while ascending.

History and Legends

According to onsite and online information, Woodland people may have occupied Sawnee Mountain for ceremonial purposes as early as 500 BCE. The Cherokee reportedly used indentations in the rocks at the summit to survey their lands, as lookouts and for meditation. There’s considerable debate and no firm conclusion whether three ridge-top “seats” were chiseled from the protruding granite, though some suggest that their symmetry can’t be natural. Others claim the formation may have some resemblance to eagles, which historically were present in the area. We passed the opportunity to sit in the seats with feet dangling over the cliff due to wind, cold, aches and the healthy fears (or wisdom?) which come with age.

Along the trail, two entrances to abandoned gold minds that date back to the late 1800s are now sealed with iron bars, preventing curious explorers and modern foods from venturing into the dangerous shafts.

After the first Georgia gold rush of the 1820s faded and prospectors moved from Dahlonega to the West Coast, a pair of Atlanta men obtained land rights for gold mining at Sawnee Mountain. A crew of 15 hopeful men dug shafts into the mountainside. But the tunneling was tough and the gold produced scant, so when questions arose about land ownership, the intrepid miners abandoned the area. Mining resource “The Diggings” described both the mine and the production as “small.” Along the trail, you’ll find two entrances to the former mines, both now thankfully sealed with iron bars to explorers (and modern fools!).

Closing Notes

We visited on a quiet weekday. Beware that Sawnee Park an activity hub for Forsyth County Parks and Recreations. Camps, adventure activities, nature classes, tree climbing, zip lining, and more often add large groups to the usual weekend walkers, runners and hikers. Also, signs state that dogs are not allowed on these trails, so leave your furry friends at home.

Finally, we’d be remiss to forget the fried pickles at Rooster’s Café in nearby Cumming, where we grabbed takeout for the return trip. Along with other good and convenient dishes, those fried pickles hit the right fiery notes for our Louisiana Cajun palate.