Activities:
Boating (electric motors only), swimming beach,camping,
fishing, picnicking, recreational vehicles, wildlife viewing. Hikers can enjoy the 1.2-mile Lake Conasauga Trail, the 1.7-mile
Songbird Trail or the Grassy Mountain Tower Trail (2 miles).
Facilities:
17 picnic tables with grills to choose from,
and two picnic shelters. See camping. The Day Use area is located
on the bank of the lake with a dock and roped-off swimming area. Here
there are grills, picnic tables, drinking water, restrooms and 2 group
shelters that are all first come, first served.
History
The Civilian Conservation Corps
built the lake during the Great Depression, and the lake opened to the
public in the 1940s.
For more information:
For More Information
Contact the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
3941 Highway 76
Chatsworth, GA 30705
Phone: 706 695-6736
Fax: 706 695-1872
Office hours: Mon. - Friday, 8:00 - 4:30
Some roads are closed depending on weather conditions, so it is recommended
that one call the Cohutta Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service
in advance of a trip to check road conditions.
Lake Conasauga
Lake Conasauga is a 17 acre lake near the summit of Grassy Mountain
just west of the Cohutta Wilderness
Area. Its location at more than 3150 feet above sea level, makes
it the highest lake in Georgia. Lake Conasauga is also the largest
Forest Service lake in north Georgia. Largemouth bass manage to grow
to trophy size in Lake Conasauga which has given up many largemouth
bass in the 10-pound range. You'll also find plenty of Bluegill and
shellcracker and an occasional trout. The recreation area has been
maintained in its original rustic state. Due to its high elevation,
this area has the perfect climate for hot summer days when you want
to escape the heat. Summer temperatures generally range from the 60's
at night to the 80's during the daytime.
With forest surrounding, clear water and cool
mountain air, Lake Conasauga is the perfect background for a family
mountain adventure. The
campground and recreation
area serve as an excellent base camp for hiking and fishing in the
Cohutta Wilderness Area or other nearby trout streams. In
the Songbird Management Area allows for excellent birding opportunities.
Wood duck boxes and bluebird nest boxes are at various locations along
the trail, and a boardwalk and observation platform over the beaver
pond offers a different perspective. this area has over 120 species
of birds. The Grassy Mountain Tower Trail is a 2 mile walk with an
easy ascent and a spectacular view.
Directions from Chatsworth:
Reaching Lake Conasauga requires traveling
rough mountain dirt roads, but the destination is worth the journey.
From the town square in Chatsworth travel 6.9 miles north on U.S.
Highway 411 . Turn right onto Grassy Street in the village of Crandall.
(Look for sign at this intersection.) Continue till road dead ends.
Turn right and then turn left onto FS 630 at the next intersection.
FS 630 starts as a paved road but soon changes to gravel. Continue
about 7 miles and then turn right on West Cowpen Road (FS 17). Stay
on West Cowpen Road until it intersects FS 68. Turn right onto FS
68 and follow the signs to Lake Conasauga.
OR: Take U.S. 411 north from Chatsworth for
4 miles; turn right (east) at traffic light in Eton; Follow Forest
Service Road 18 east for 10 miles; turn left (northeast) on Forest
Service Road 68 for 10 miles.
Seasonally open, call ahead
