State Route 180 (SR 180) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the northeastern part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Its routing is located within portions of

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Route description

SR 180 begins at an

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their i ...

with SR 60 in Suches, within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and Union County. It winds its way to the northeast until it intersects US 19/ US 129/ SR 11 (Gainesville Highway), just northeast of

Vogel State Park Vogel State Park is a or 94 hectares state park located at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It became one of the first two parks in Georgia when it founded a state park system in 1931. Much of the park was const ...

. The four highways run

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

to the northeast for approximately . The route heads east to SR 348 (Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway). SR 180 continues to the northeast, until it meets its eastern terminus, an intersection with SR 17/ SR 75 (Unicoi Turnpike) halfway between Hiawassee and

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

in southern Towns County. SR 180 traverses some of the most difficult terrain in Georgia, traveling the gaps of the highest mountains in the state. The route has two sections known as Bald Mountain Road and Wolfpen Gap Road, which are joined by the concurrency with US 19/US 129/SR 11. Most of the highway is in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Bald Mountain Road, named for the state's highest peak (

Brasstown Bald Brasstown Bald is the highest point in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located in the northeastern part of the state in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the border between Towns and Union counties south of the city of Hiawassee. The mountain is know ...

), is the eastern section of the highway and has been designated a

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

and a Georgia Scenic Byway. Part of SR 180 is included in the

Russell–Brasstown Scenic Byway The Russell–Brasstown Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in the U.S. state of Georgia that includes parts of Georgia State Route 17 (SR 17), SR 75, SR 180, and SR 75 Alternate, as well as the entire length of SR ...

. Bald Mountain Road crosses the

Nottely River The Nottely River is a river in the United States. The river originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The river flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataT ...

shortly before the concurrency with US 19/US 129/SR 11. Wolfpen Gap Road (the western section of the highway) is known to be the curviest road in the state. Sites along this section include various hiking trails and scenery as well as Vogel State Park, access to

Sosebee Cove Sosebee Cove is a high-elevation, north-facing, cove forest found in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The trail through the cove is dedicated to Arthur Woody, who negotiated the Cove's purchase for the United States Forest Service. Located ne ...

, an intersection with the Coosa Back Country Trail, and

Lake Winfield Scott Lake Winfield Scott is an mountain lake located south of Blairsville, Georgia in Union County. The lake, which is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is the source of Cooper Creek. It is the centerpiece of the Forest Service's Lake Wi ...

(Georgia's highest lake). The highpoint of the highway is at Wolfpen Gap. SR 180 is not part of the National Highway System, a system of roadways important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.

Major intersections

Bannered route

State Route 180 Spur (SR 180 Spur) is a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

that connects the SR 180 mainline with a parking lot at the visitors center for

, the highest point in

. It starts on the

–

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

line, then travels completely within Towns County. SR 180 Spur shares the

and

Georgia Scenic Byway Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

designations bestowed upon the SR 180 mainline.Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway Brochure (Georgia Department of Transportation)
/ref> Because of the altitude and steepness of the road, and because it serves no through traffic, it is often closed in winter due to inclement weather.

References

External links

{{commons category, Georgia State Route 180

180 __NOTOC__ Year 180 ( CLXXX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Condianus (or, less frequently, year 933 '' Ab ...

Transportation in Union County, Georgia Transportation in Towns County, Georgia

Route description

Major intersections

Bannered route

See also

References

External links