If you want the best fall color in our corner of North Georgia, start with four favorites: Fort Mountain, the Richard Russell Scenic Highway, Highway 52 through Ellijay, and Aska Road in Blue Ridge. And one piece of advice that applies to all of them: go on a weekday if you can. These are the drives we recommend to friends, clients and anyone visiting the mountains in October, and they double as a great way to get to know the area if you are thinking about buying a home here.
Fort Mountain
Fort Mountain rises above the valley west of Ellijay, and the drive up gives you sweeping views across the surrounding ridges. The state park at the top is known for its overlooks, hiking trails, a lake, and the mysterious ancient rock wall that gave the mountain its name. In peak season, the hardwoods on the slopes put on a layered display of color, with the higher elevations often turning before the valleys below.
For the best experience, plan to stretch your legs. Short trails lead to overlooks and the historic stone fire tower, and even a brief walk gets you away from the road and into the trees. Bring a jacket; it can be noticeably cooler at the top than it is down in town.
The Richard Russell Scenic Highway
The Richard Russell Scenic Highway is one of the classic mountain drives in Georgia. It winds through the Chattahoochee National Forest with steep grades, tight curves and long views across forested ridges. The route crosses the Appalachian Trail, and the pull-offs along the way are popular places to stop for photos and short walks.
This is a drive to take slowly. The curves are sharp, and you will share the road with cyclists, motorcycles and other leaf-lookers who may stop suddenly. Make sure your gas tank is full before you go, since services are limited along the route, and give yourself more time than the map suggests.
Highway 52 Through Ellijay
Highway 52 runs through Ellijay and the surrounding countryside, connecting the valley with the mountains on either side. In fall, this stretch is known for apple country: orchards, farm stands and roadside markets line the way, and the views of the surrounding ridges change with every bend. It is an easy drive to combine with a stop in downtown Ellijay for lunch or a stroll around the square.
This route is a good example of how varied the area is. Within a few miles you can go from in-town streets to rolling orchard land to wooded mountainsides, which is part of why buyers who come for the scenery often find themselves interested in very different kinds of property than they expected.
Aska Road in Blue Ridge
Aska Road winds south from the Blue Ridge area through forest and along the river corridor, passing cabins, trailheads and access points for hiking and water recreation. It is a favorite for people who want a quieter, more wooded drive close to town. The canopy along the road makes it feel like you are driving through the color rather than looking at it from a distance.
Many of the area’s cabins sit along or near Aska Road and its side roads, so the drive also gives you a sense of what mountain living looks like here: homes tucked into the hillsides, gravel drives climbing into the trees, and plenty of trail access close by.
Why a Weekday Makes All the Difference
October weekends bring heavy traffic to every one of these routes. Overlooks fill up, parking areas overflow, and a scenic drive can turn into a slow line of brake lights. On a weekday, the same drive is calmer, the pull-offs are open, and you can actually stop to enjoy the view.
A few more timing tips:
- Go early or late in the day. Morning light and late-afternoon light both make the colors glow, and the roads are often quieter.
- Watch elevation. Color typically starts at higher elevations and works its way down. If the valley is still green, the ridgetops may already be at their best.
- Check conditions. Peak color varies from year to year with rainfall and temperatures, so plan for a range of weeks rather than a single day.
- Have a backup route. If one area is crowded, another may be just as colorful and much quieter.
What to bring and how to drive mountain roads
A little preparation keeps a leaf drive enjoyable:
- A full tank of gas and a charged phone. Cell service can be spotty in places, so download maps ahead of time.
- Water, snacks and layers. Temperatures change with elevation and as the sun drops.
- Good walking shoes for overlooks and short trails.
- Patience. Use pull-offs to let faster traffic pass, and never stop in a travel lane for a photo.
- Low gears on steep descents to save your brakes.
Leaf-Looking as Home-Shopping
Many of our buyers first fell for the area on a fall drive. If you are considering a home here, these routes are a good way to compare towns and settings. As you drive, notice:
- How long it takes to get from a cabin area back to groceries, gas and restaurants.
- Which roads are paved, which are gravel, and how steep the driveways look.
- How busy an area feels on a peak-season weekend versus a weekday.
- Whether you prefer views from a ridge, a creek or river setting, or the convenience of being close to town.
Those observations make it much easier to narrow down where you want to look and what kind of property will fit the way you want to live.
Plan Your Fall Visit
- Pick a weekday for your longest drive, and save the weekend for in-town strolling.
- Start with one route, such as Highway 52 through Ellijay, and add Fort Mountain, the Richard Russell Scenic Highway or Aska Road in Blue Ridge as time allows.
- Jot down the areas that catch your eye, and let Sherry know if you would like to see homes nearby while you are in town.
Enjoy the color. It never lasts as long as we would like, which is one more reason so many people decide they would like to be here for every fall.
