GEORGIA

Let’s start looking at Georgia where James Oglethorpe and his band of 120 fellow adventurers did in 1733 - on the seacoast. Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island is one of our favorite dog-hiking beaches in America. Period. But Tybee Island, Savannah’s beach, and Cumberland Island National Seashore ban dogs completely. Stepping away from the coast the Georgia plains are lubricated by more than 70,000 miles of steams and rivers and over four million acres of freshwater wetlands that attract more bird dogs than hiking dogs. The lack of attractive canine hiking opportunities here - the bulk of the state - is exemplified by Providence Canyon, the multi-hued “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon.” The canyons were actually formed by poor farming practices, nothing nature had a hand in. Things pick up considerably for your dog in the northwest mountains. Waterfalls are a highlight in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and state parks here - Anna Ruby Falls, Cloudland Canyon, Shoal Falls, Raven Cliffs. Your dog is even welcome to climb the stairs up the face of 729-foot Amicalola Falls and then hike the eight miles to the southern terminus of the celebrated Appalachian Trail on Springer Mountain. Blood Mountain, Rabun Bald, and Yonah Mountain are just some of the other peaks waiting to be conquered with your dog.

The Best Day Hike You Can Take With Your Dog In Georgia

West Rim Loop Trail
Cloudland Canyon State Park • Trenton

To geologists, the impressive gash in the limestone at the western end of Lookout Mountain was Trenton Gulch. Locals knew the 1,000-foot deep gorge as Sitton Gulch. After the Civilian Conservation Corps arrived in the 1930s to carve the first access roads into the area the newly designated state park was bestowed with the more beguiling name of Cloudland Canyon for its opening in 1939.

Cloudland Canyon serves up some of the most dramatic hiking in North Georgia and your dog can experience every step of it. The best walk is the West Rim Loop Trail that covers about three miles and follows up visits to canyon overlooks with views of the town of Trenton down the western slope. For the full flavor of this scenic trail begin the journey on the East Rim and use the connector trail across Daniel Creek. Don’t let the scenery distract Seaman here - the undulating route hugs unprotected ledges as it rolls along.

One thing Seaman won’t see on the West Rim Trail are the park’s stunning water displays, 60-foot Cherokee Falls and 90-foot Hemlock Falls. To get face-to-face with these hydrospectaculars requires conquering 600 steps into the canyon (the Washington Monument has 897 steps, for reference). These steps are of the open-grate variety which will abort the trip for some dogs. If you make it to the canyon floor Seaman can test Sitton’s Gulch Loop Trail that runs five miles out the north end of the gorge.

HIKING TIME: 3-4 hours

(from the book 300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out: Trails where you won’t be able to wipe the wag off your dog’s tail)