Rabun Bald, with an
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...
of , is the second-highest peak in the U.S. state of
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 ...
; only
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 County, Georgia, Union counties south of the city of Hiawassee ...
is higher. It is immediately southeast of
Sky Valley, Georgia, and is the tallest mountain in the county. An observation tower on the summit provides hikers with views that, on clear days, extend for more than . The hike to the top of Rabun Bald is round trip via the Rabun Bald Trail. The Rabun Bald Trail connects with the
Bartram Trail system, which passes over the top as it winds through northeast Georgia for .
According to
Native American legend, Rabun Bald is inhabited by fire-breathing demon people: some campers still report hearing strange sounds throughout the night.
Rabun Bald was the site of the first
fire tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a " fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...
in the area, which was constructed by
Nick Nicholson, the first
forest ranger
A ranger, park ranger, park warden, or forest ranger is a law enforcement person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks.
Description
"Parks" may be broadly defined by some systems in thi ...
in Georgia. The fire tower was operated by the United States Forest Service until the early 1970s. After the fire tower was taken out of service, a
Youth Conservation Corps
The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a paid summer youth work program in federally managed lands. The National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management employ teens each summer to participate ...
(YCC) crew dismantled the tower's uppermost component, a metal-framed enclosure with glass windows that sat atop a stone base. Leaving the stone base intact, the YCC crew replaced the metal "cabin" with a railed wooden observation platform.
Gallery
Image:Rabun Bald Fire Tower, July 2016.jpg, Fire tower on Rabun Bald's summit
Image:View from Rabun Bald looking south.jpg, View from Rabun Bald's fire tower, looking south
Image:Bartram Trail on Rabun Bald 2, July 2016.jpg, Bartram Trail on Rabun Bald
Image:Rabun Bald (20962666623).jpg, Rabun Bald seen from Black Rock Mountain State Park
Black Rock Mountain State Park is a Georgia, United States, state park west of Mountain City in Rabun County, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is named after its sheer cliffs of dark-colored biotite gneiss. Astride the Eastern Continental D ...
See also
*
List of mountains in Georgia (U.S. state)
References
External links
TopoQuest map of Rabun BaldHiking Rabun Bald
Mountains of Georgia (U.S. state)
Protected areas of Rabun County, Georgia
Appalachian balds
Mountains of Rabun County, Georgia
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