Fort Mountain State Park & Overlooks Near Ellijay, GA

Fort Mountain State Park and the Overlooks Around Ellijay

The short answer

Fort Mountain State Park is in Murray County, the next county west of Gilmer, at 181 Fort Mountain Park Road, Chatsworth. It has an ancient stone wall and 60 miles of trails; the park is open 7 AM to 10 PM and a parking fee is required. Closer in, Gilmer County holds the southern ends of the Appalachian and Benton MacKaye trails. No agency publishes drive times from Ellijay.

Facts checked October 17, 2026 Ellijay, Georgia (Gilmer County seat, in the north Georgia mountains), not East Ellijay, which is a separate city next door

Fort Mountain State Park (Murray County)

Fort Mountain State Park, 181 Fort Mountain Park Road, Chatsworth, GA 30705 (Murray County), has an ancient stone wall and 60 miles of recreational trails. The park is open 7 AM-10 PM and the office 8 AM-5 PM. A parking fee is required. Park phone 706-422-1932. (Georgia State Parks) Check the park’s page for the current parking fee and trail conditions before you go.

A tall rough-stone tower with an arched opening and a wooden stair landing at its base, standing among bare trees under a partly cloudy sky. — The stone fire tower at Fort Mountain State Park. Photo: Thomsonmg2000, CC0

A high view over a broad green valley of farm fields and woods, with a rounded mountain range across the valley under white clouds and dry brush in the foreground. — The valley view from Fort Mountain State Park, in neighboring Murray County. Photo: Thomsonmg2000, CC0

Trails that start in Gilmer County

Ellijay and Gilmer County are part of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s A.T. Community program, and the Conservancy notes that the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and of the Benton MacKaye Trail, is in Gilmer County (Appalachian Trail Conservancy). The city calls Ellijay an Appalachian Trail Community (City of Ellijay). Those trailheads are well outside town; we have no sourced drive time to them.

A rocky footpath winding through a shaded hardwood forest, with fallen logs across the slope and rhododendron along the trail. — The Benton MacKaye Trail near Fall Branch Falls. Photo: Thomson200, CC0

The ridges around town

The photographs below show the mountains around Ellijay and East Ellijay. We have not found agency pages for every road and overlook in them, so we describe only what is sourced and let the photos speak for the rest.

Wooded hills in early autumn color with rounded blue mountains and a radio tower on the skyline; light poles and the roofs of a few commercial buildings at the bottom edge. — Rich Mountain in fall color, seen from East Ellijay. Photo: Thomson20192, CC0

Layered forested ridges in fresh spring green rolling toward a long blue mountain range on the horizon under a soft white cloudy sky. — The Cohutta Overlook on GA 52 west of Ellijay. Photo: Thomson M, CC BY 3.0

Overlook questions

Is Fort Mountain State Park in Gilmer County?

No. It is in Murray County, at 181 Fort Mountain Park Road, Chatsworth. It has an ancient stone wall and 60 miles of trails.

Source: Georgia State Parks

What are Fort Mountain State Park's hours?

The park is open 7 AM to 10 PM and the office 8 AM to 5 PM. A parking fee is required. Park phone 706-422-1932.

Source: Georgia State Parks

Does the Appalachian Trail start near Ellijay?

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy notes that the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and of the Benton MacKaye Trail, is in Gilmer County. Ellijay is an A.T. Community.

Source: Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Dates, hours and fees change. For anything official, the city has the final word: City of Ellijay official site

Like it here? Ask about living here.

Gold Peach Realty is the North Georgia brokerage behind this guide. If an October weekend at the apple festivals or an afternoon on River Street has you wondering what a house in Ellijay or elsewhere in Gilmer County would look like, the team can walk you through what is on the market and how the mountain towns differ.