Current Officers
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The Benton MacKaye Trail Association is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Association bylaws revised on 08-Nov-2008 Home page photo, the BMT along Tennessee/North Carolina state line as seen from Whigg Meadow in Spring, courtesy of Alleen Davis. |
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Hiker Advisory: Note to Hikers-Tapoco Section 18c. SAVE THE DATE!!!
BMTA Offers Help to Private Landowners to Treat Their Diseased Hemlocks Save Georgia’s Hemlocks (www.savegeorgiashemlocks.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving hemlocks in Georgia, in conjunction with the BMTA and various non-profits in the Chattanooga area are able to help local landowners in the north GA/southeast TN area treat their hemlocks to kill the adelgids which are threatening the hemlocks in this area of the country. Trained facilitators, at the request of private property owners, at no charge, will make on-site visits to help private property owners assess the health of their hemlock trees and to make recommendations for treatment. There is a great need for this service in the region as many hemlocks are infested with the woolly adelgid and will die over the next few years if they are not appropriately treated. The Cherokee, Nantahala and Chattahoochee National Forests have active programs to treat the hemlocks within their boundaries, but they face tremendous challenges due to current financial constraints. Many infested hemlocks are also on private property, and homeowners who take action to treat them will play an important part in the very survival of these magnificent trees in the southeast. If you have hemlocks, they are (or soon will be) in great danger. But treatment is available to save your trees. The only cost is for the chemical. On average it only costs about $2 to treat a 10 inch diameter tree. Contact the BMTA about your hemlock questions through this website and we will get back to you. Our Next Fun Hike! Our next fun hike is on September 18th (choice of two): Broad River Trail at the Lake Russell WMA near Clarkesville. Easier beautiful hike with a few short moderate climbs, 4.1 miles. The trailheads (both ends) are on a gravel Forest Service road. The trail features the Broad River, rhododendron tunnels, Dicks Creek, trailside springs, open river bottoms, and pine/ mixed hardwood forest. Meet at 10am. Trip is limited to 16 hikers; no dogs. Suitable for children 10 & up. Non-hikers in the family? Camp at Lake Russell WMA and have them join us there for a cookout after the hike. Panther Creek Trail south of Tallulah Falls. More challenging in and out hike along Panther Creek. This popular blue-blazed trail is an in and out hike to Panther Creek Falls for 3.6 miles, return to the Panther Creek day-use area for a moderate 7.2-mile day hike. Follow a beautiful cascading creek through a steep-sided valley with granite cliffs to the breath-taking falls. Some areas have very difficult footing along steep banks, wear sturdy hiking boots. Meet at 10 am at the Panther Creek day-use area. Take US 23/441 south from Tallulah Falls. In 3 miles, turn right on Historic 441 to the Panther Creek Recreation Area. Fee and non-fee areas. Eat at the Copper Pot in Clarkesville after hike. Look at the slide show of our last hike on youtube:
Wacheesi Bald to Kirkland Creek (turn up the sound)
Order your Appalachian Trail License Plate TODAY! The Trail The Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) is a footpath of nearly 300 miles (480 km) through the Appalachian mountains of the southeastern United States. It is designed for foot travel in the tradition of the Appalachian Trail (AT). Running from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Davenport Gap on the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (the Smokies), the BMT passes through some of the most remote backcountry in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, including eight federally designated Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas. For further information on the trail, visit the BMT Vital Info page. For Hikers There are numerous access points and trailheads along the BMT route creating many options for one-way and loop hikes, and several more in combination with local trails. Longer hikes are possible on the BMT by doing a partial or full Because the BMT intersects the AT at each terminus and in the middle, three large hikable loops are formed in a figure 8: a lower circle of 364 miles, an upper Smokies-only walk of 158 miles, and 'The BMT Loop' - a complete circuit hike of over 500 miles. The Georgia Loop, "toughest hike in Georgia", is a 55-mile triangle of the BMT, the AT and the Duncan Ridge Trail. In the Eastern Continental Trail; the 4400-plus mile route from Key West, Florida to Cape Gaspe, Quebec, Canada; the BMT connects the Pinhoti and Appalachian Trails. For more hiker information, check the Hiker Resources page. The Association The Benton MacKaye Trail Association (BMTA) was organized in 1979 and incorporated in 1980 to build and maintain the BMT. Driving the effort was a desire to see opened for hiking Benton MacKaye's chosen route for his Appalachian mountain trail. MacKaye (rhymes with sky), Massachusetts forester and co-founder of The Wilderness Society, was the man whose vision inspired what is today the Appalachian Trail. In the south, he had selected a more westerly route, along the western crest of the Blue Ridge, roughly that followed today by the BMT. The BMTA's 25th anniversary year saw the original plan completed as the route was officially opened on July 16, 2005. As with most trail organizations, the BMTA is an all-volunteer, nonprofit group of folks who want to see the trail remain open and in good shape. Those who live close enough and are able gather regularly to work on maintaining the trail, also to hike and for special events. They and others contribute through their membership. Want to Help? Your support is welcome. Becoming a member, participating in or leading maintenance and/or recreational outings, adopting a section of trail, serving on the BMTA board of directors, being a project leader, assisting with administrative needs, and/or making a financial donation are all ways in which you can lend a hand. It's easy to join and when you keep your membership current, you're helping us maintain and improve the trail. See the Want to Help? page for a list of current needs. Any and all are invited to participate in BMTA outings; no experience is necessary and membership is not required. Join us! Maintainer's Page Contact Us Terms of Use Events Membership Info All content copyright © 2003-2010 by Benton MacKaye Trail Association, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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