Fort Mountain State Park is a beautiful park in north east Georgia. The park offers all the usual amenities of a state park, swimming, boating¹, fishing, camping, RVing, cottages, biking trails, hiking trails, and miniature golf. What makes this park unique is the rock wall.

The Rock Wall

A 855-foot-long rock wall has been built near the top of the mountain. It's varies between 2 and 7 feet tall. It has several pits that breach the wall. It consists of rocks stacked on top of each other. To the modern eye, it looks like a place where a bunch of rocks were just dumped. To pre-industrial era people, it was surely an impressive feat of construction.

The purpose of the wall is not known. There are theories that it was the last stand for prehistoric white people. The Cherokee Indians who once populated the area thought that it may have been 'moon-eyed' and pale skinned people who once lived in the area. There's one story that it was a group of Welsh explorers who landed in North America in 1170. It's also been speculated that it was made by sun-worshipers who used it as s ort of an observatory.

Most current scholars believe that Cherokees built it as a defensive position against their enemies, the Creek Indians who lived to the south. It may be possible that it was just an improved path for Cherokees who used it to visit the overlook and take in the spectacular view.

The Tower and Overlook

If continue up the mountain from the rock wall, you'll come to a tower. The Civilian Conservation Corps built it during the Great Depression. You can go up for about four stories to take in the view. However, the top of the tower is just below the level of the surrounding trees.

From the tower, you can continue on to the over look. If you want to save some time and effort, you can turn left at the wall, follow the trail, and turn right. This will take you right to the overlook.

The overlook is pretty spectacular. It's a good place to do some aerial photography, except you don't need the airplane. There aren't any foothills to speak of, so the bluff just drops off to the bottom of the valley. You can see tens of miles of woods, and small towns. The view is best observed in October. The woods of north Georgia put on a spectacular show as they change colors each year.

Driving Directions

Take I-75 north from Atlanta or south from Chattanooga. Take exit 333 in Dalton, and go east on Georgia Highway 52. Then follow the signs. The park is just past the city of Chatsworth.

If you're coming from New Echota Historic Site, take Georgia Highway 225 north. When you come to Georgia Highway Alt 52 turn right and continue until it merges back in with Georgia Highway 52, and continue until you see the signs. If you're at Chief Vann House State Historic Site, you're at the intersection of Alt 52 and you go east on it.

As you drive on Highway 52, the mountains east of Chatsworth rise like a wall. It's a spectacular view, and it's matched only by the view looking back down from the overlook.