Big Canoe Property Owners Association, Inc.

Length: 2 miles round trip

Difficulty: Moderate; at one point there is a steep hillside with several steps.

Features: One of the most beautiful areas on all the trails in Big Canoe awaits you at the end of this trail. In an area that is green year round because of the Canadian Hemlock, rhododendron and mountain laurel surrounding you, Blackwell Creek flows over a rock ledge and around huge boulders creating an awesome setting. Below the water cascade is a large rock in the middle of the creek. The creek is forced through a narrow channel in the rock creating a masterful display of nature at work. This rock is a great place for a picnic or just to sit and hang your feet in the water absorbing nature around you. Consider shedding your shoes and wading in the creek between the picnic rock and the waterfall. It feels great during a warm North Georgia summer.

A reminder of the past of this area will greet you as you walk alongside the creek below the Covered Bridge. You will see stacked stone columns that are the remnants of the supports for a bridge estimated to be over a century old. Look closely in the undergrowth between Blackwell Creek and Wilderness Parkway and you will see where the pioneers used stacked stone to support the road leading to the old bridge. Imagine these structures being build by hand uses horses and wagons to bring material to the site. Based on the remnants we can still see, the bridge must have been an impressive structure in its day.

This is an enjoyable hike in any season. Wildflowers grace many parts of the trail in the Spring and Summer, especially in the area just after you cross Wilderness Parkway. In late June, this is a great trail to see the Rhododendron in bloom. Also along this trail, about 50 yards downstream of the wooden steps, is a rare Mountain Camellia, Stewartia ovata, which blooms in late June. The bloom is white, about the size of a dogwood, with purple filaments and a yellow stamen, an absolutely stunning flower. If you see this tree in bloom, please do not pick the blooms. We need to allow them to propagate. Because of the evergreen nature of many parts of this trail, this is an exceptional hike to enjoy once the leaves fall and the weather turns chilly.

How to get there: Traveling north on Steve Tate Highway from the Main Gate, take the first left into the area with the amphitheater. You can park on the left. The entry to the Botanical Garden, the Blackwell Creek Trail and the Covered Bridge Trail is to the right of the parking area. You can also continue past the first parking area, turn right at the first road, continue past the amphitheater to the Scout Hut and enter the Blackwell Creek trail to the left of the Scout Hut. The Blackwell Creek Trail joins the Covered Bridge Trail. There are signs to guide you, so there is no fear of losing your way.