Mount Yonah is located between Cleveland and Helen, Georgia in the middle of White County. It is easily recognizable for miles by its sheer granite cliff facings, which are a popular rock climber’s destination. It has been the training ground for Army Rangers since the 1960’s and training continues there to this day.
We had a motley little pack for this hike, since front of the house Bleu Canoe employees Cierra and Jenny joined us, along with their pups, Uki and Jackie. It is always exciting to have Jenny along on a hike, because she is a state certified mushroom forager. With Jenny along the goal of this hike became not only to reach the summit, but to also find as many mushroom species as we could. Due to the recent heavy rains, we were hopeful.
The trailhead has a large gravel parking lot at the base with primitive bathrooms and about 50-60 parking spots. This is a popular hike on weekends and nice days, so expect to pass other hikers. You can get an idea what to expect along the trail by how full the parking lot is. We lucked out with only about 8 cars in the lot when we arrived this day.
This hike is a little over 2 miles to the top, with a total accent of 1500 ft, making the full hike 4.5 miles round trip. The trail immediately begins with an incline, along a wide but rocky path, dotted with small sections of granite boulders that must be climbed over. Make sure and bring plenty of water for both people and pups. Due to the near constant climb and lack of water features, we do not recommend bringing dogs on this hike if temperatures are over 80 degrees. We also would not recommend bringing older dogs (which is why Freyja sat this hike out). It was 75 degrees this day and we had to stop often to let Bleu and Uki rest, on the other hand Jackie (a 
chihuahua mix) was a beast and never seemed to tire.
Jenny explained to us we were most likely to find mushrooms in the first half of our hike, at the lower elevations. We found 10+ species along the trail, though Bleu trampled quite a few, when being curious as to why we were all digging in the dirt. Below are a few of the nicer specimens we found.
Amanita are interesting because this genus includes species like the Death Cap and Destroying Angel, which are common names for the ones that will literally turn your liver into liquid with amatoxins. While there are a few that are edible, most in the genus are poisonous to some extent, so its best to steer clear of these guys.
Sebancina are a common type of mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form a mutually beneficial relationship with plant roots. They look just like ocean coral.
Boletus aurantiosplendens (Aurantio meaning orange and splendens meaning bright) Jenny was particulary excited about this find as it is considered near endangered. There are only seven areas it has been found, all within a 600 km area of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Because of its rarity, she is considering sending it off for DNA testing to confirm, since this would be a new location siting.
Amanita (Eastern American Blusher) is from the same family as our first mushroom. It is called a Blusher because when the flesh is damaged it turns a reddish/pink color.
About half way through the hike you will come to a small field on your left with a nice view that is an often used campsite. From here on, the climb becomes much steeper, so its a good place to take a rest and grab some water before starting the most difficult part of the hike.
However, before heading up the final path, there is a nice detour to a rock outcropping with a manmade stone chair fire circle. Immediately before the field, you can take the trail to the right, up a short, steep path to reach the fire circle. Check out the remnants of Army training climbs along the wall marked with spray painted numbers.
The last section includes a steep rocky path, followed by a narrow gravel road maintained for Army training. The road ends on a flat granite top which extends out to the cliff face. Mount Yonah is considered a Monadnock. They are formed through differential erosion, where harder, more resistant rock formations remain standing after the softer surrounding rock has been eroded away. The remaining granite outcroppings were formed 375 million years ago from magmatic intrusion into overlying metamorphic rock.
We found the steep hike well worth it. The top of Mount Yonah rewards you with panaramic views of the surrounding countryside. The majority of the views can be seen by heading to the right. There is a loop trail that takes you all around the summit, so plan for some time for exploring when you reach the top.
The good news is, once you’ve reached the top all the hard work is done. The return trip is ALL downhill. The full hike takes around 3 hours to complete. Finish with a cold one from one of Bleu’s favorite dog friendly watering holes.
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BLEU’S NEARBY RECOMMENDATIONS:
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Yonah Mountain Vineyards
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Serenity Cellars
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NoFo Brew Co