Tray Mountain rises to 4,430 feet, the seventh-highest summit in Georgia and the centerpiece of the Tray Mountain Wilderness, a 9,702-acre protected area within the Chattahoochee National Forest. The name is thought to be a corruption of "Trail Mountain," fitting for a peak where the Appalachian Trail crosses the summit. Sitting at the junction of Habersham, Towns, and White counties in northeastern Georgia, the summit is widely regarded as one of the finest viewpoints in the southern Blue Ridge, taking in the Nantahala Mountains to the north, the distant ridges of the Smokies on a clear day, Lake Chatuge to the northwest, and the distinctive profile of Yonah Mountain to the south.
The most popular approach follows the AT from Indian Grave Gap, a 5-mile round trip with about 1,250 feet of gain. The trail passes through dense tunnels of rhododendron and mountain laurel that burst into bloom in late spring and early summer, with mossy forest floor and fern-lined slopes below a hardwood canopy. Above Tray Gap, the route enters designated wilderness and steepens considerably before opening onto the summit, where large granite slabs angle upward and the treeline breaks open for panoramic views. A blue-blazed side trail near the top leads to the Tray Mountain Shelter, at 4,200 feet the highest AT shelter in Georgia.
Fall offers the clearest long-range views, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. Snow is possible from late fall through early spring.
