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Georgia trails · Smith Creek Trail

Smith Creek Trail

A 4.5-mile out-and-back in Georgia, with 957 ft of climbing. Reaches Anna Ruby Falls and other viewpoint/waterfall destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
4.5 mi
Elevation gain
957 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
22%
Steepest mile
+613 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
1.4 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Bikes
no
Horses
no
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

1,723 – 2,680 ft1234

Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 58% of the ascent, between mile 1.5 and mile 3.0. It gives back about 557 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Smith Creek Trail

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Smith Creek Trail access — parking nearby. 34.72670, -83.71597 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:41 a.m., the sun rises at 7:06 a.m. and sets at 8:02 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:28 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 56 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.9-mile round trip takes roughly 4 h 15 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:22 a.m. — 8 h 41 min before sunset.

Loop options

Nearby trails