Indian Grave Gap Campsite

My brother and I camped here for three nights in mid-July 2023 to do some hiking on the AT and other nearby trails. First off, the site is located on the gravel Indian Grave Gap Road. The Road is located 10 miles north of Helen GA off of Unicoi Turnpike/GA 75. Look carefully for the road sign on the right (assuming you are coming from the south). As noted in another review, there is a creek crossing near the start of the road. We saw some sedans make the crossing but I would not recommend trying it in anything but an SUV or truck. Or, if you have what I call a "beater" of a car, go ahead and go for it. Just be kind and pick up any parts that fall off. The campsite is then found at exactly 2 miles up the road on the right. Note - at one mile up the road, you will see the High Shoals Trailhead on the left. This is a really nice 1.5 mile out-and-back that leads to two really nice waterfalls. The second waterfall has a nice swimming hole at the base of the falls which we enjoyed on our first day. The water was very cold but refreshing on a hot day. This hike get's a lot of traffic on the weekend but it was sparse when we hiked it early on a Friday. On Saturday when we drove into Hiawasee for supplies, we counted about 60 trucks/SUV's parked at the trailhead. So again, I highly recommend hitting this trail on a weekday or very early in the day. The campsite is large and could easily accommodate six tents or so but probably only 4 tent sites with little to no slope. We set up under a pleasant grove right along the creek where we enjoyed the babbling of the water. There were three established fire rings which makes me think the site is sometimes used by more than one group. We had it all to ourselves. There is a small creek adjacent to the camp for access to water if you need it. We brought in our own firewood and found plenty of kindling to use for starters. There is parking directly on the site, so this is true car camping. The site is just far enough off the road as to give you privacy from passing cars. We saw maybe one car per hour go by and there was no traffic down the road at night. The only negatives were 1) there were a lot of bees hovering around especially in the morning. I'm allergic and didn't bring an epipen so it made me a little nervous. We did not get stung. 2) the ground is pretty rocky around the fire pit making it hard to find a good sporting surface for our favorite campsite game, mumbly peg. So if you are also a fan of this game, you will surely miss some shots due to hitting some pesky, hidden subterranian rocks. For the record, I was the champion on this trip and introduced a new throw that I have dubbed the "drop kick". It's a skill level 10 and I hit it on my only two attempts. It was so unlikely that we both broke down in laughter after I stuck the second one. I immediately retired the shot, never to be attempted again. If you arrive and this site is taken, there are additional sites on the opposite side of the road as well and several sites further up the road. We saw plenty of open sites on the weekend. The Appalacian Trail crosses Indian Grave Gap road about 2 miles further up the road. We hiked the AT to the left of the road, up Trey Mountain. That hike is about 2.7 miles each way and is all uphill to the top. Not difficult but it's a slog going up.

Wonderful campsite to visit. Amazing view and plenty of room to walk around the campsite without it being too crowded.

Very nice trail and waterfalls. Great swimming hole to cool off in. Some of the path is steep but overall it's easy for someone that isn't sedentary.

My buddy and I spent some time on the FS roads and spent the night here. Really nice campsite if it wasn't for all the broken glass and trash. Some level spots to setup a couple tents (maybe 3) right by the creek. Lots of exposed tree roots and inclines, so be aware of that. In the woods behind the site there is trash dumped everywhere. Broken glass all over near the fire pits, so he aware of that as well. Pretty quiet, only a few cars drove by. The trail going up will need to be navigated by and SUV. 4WD and around clearance is a plus but not needed. Creek crossing in the beginning was only about 1 foot deep. There is also a couple sites on the way up to this one. Another directly across of this one is already taken, as well.