Cooper's Furnace and Laurel Ridge Trails
Join GeorgiaTrails or login to add comments about this trail.  This trail begins at Coopers Furnace and follows an upgraded portion of an old logging road and a rail bed that was used to transport wood to the furnace. It then follows a ridge to an improved road, which returns to Cooper's Furnace. This is a great family hike and it is interpreted in places.
During the Great Locomotive Chase it was Mark Anthony Cooper's engine, The Yonah, that prevented the Raiders from burning the Western and Atlantic bridge over the Etowah River. This small engine also carried William Fuller and others to the Kingston railroad yard. During the Atlanta Campaign Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston positioned men at the top of these hills, the Allatoona Mountains. Union General Jacob Cox men advanced towards the furnace along the railroad bed. After a brief skirmish, the Rebels retreated south of the Etowah River and the Union Army captured the irons works and destroyed the surrounding city of Etowah, a major target of the Atlanta Campaign.
A gate past the iron furnace marks the start of the trail. Ascending near a small creek the trail begins a loop at a lake formed by a beaver dam and fortified by the Army Corps of Engineers. Enhanced by non-intrusive birdhouses, the wildlife in the area is abundant. The old railbed which the trail follows, except for a single switchback, begins here. This south facing cove was heavily forested until the mid-1920's. After .4 mile the trail veers right and begins a moderate climb to the Allatoona Lake Visitors Center. As the trail ascends an approach path from an additional parking area joins the loop trail.
At this point the footpath turns right, narrows, and the name changes to Laurel Ridge Trail. Follow the treadway to the right and shortly the first of two overlooks permits a stunning view of the cove any time of year. A section of the trail is banked with heavy stone, visible proof of the railway that ran here before the Civil War. Here the trail begins to follow a high ridge. At the Visitors Center, take a few minutes to see the displays and walk to the Lake Allatoona overview. This is one of the finest views south of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The trail then returns to the beaver lake over the upgraded portion of the old logging road.
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Cooper's Furnace and Laurel Ridge Trails
Cooper's Furnace and Laurel Ridge Trails maps and directions
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