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The Indian Seats trail is an elevation gaining, mountain hike near Atlanta. It is located about 45 miles north of Atlanta in Cumming, Georgia. The trail is part of a pair of trails in the Sawnee Nature Preserve, that also includes the Sawnee Mountainside Trail.
Of all the hiking near Atlanta, this hike offers one of the best views at the Indian Seats lookout and is known for a great sunset view.
On a sunnier day, the views showcase the best of the North Georgia mountains. My kids didn’t mind the weather, they loved being up in the clouds. This will be a hike that we revisit time and again.
The trail is well maintained and marked. It is uphill, but it is not strenuous. It is relatively easy to make your way up to the Indian Seat trail viewpoint. My kids had no problem getting there.
So let us review everything you need to know to make you hike easy and enjoyable.
Indian Seats Brief History
Originally, the Indian Seats lookout was known as a sacred site for the Cherokee Indians.
Once gold was discovered in Forsyth County, settlers in the area dug mines to extract the gold.
Eventually all the costly gold mining was abandoned.
On the trail you can still find closed off cave entrances.
Indian Seats Trail Map
If you cannot make out the trail markings from my photo, you can also download the trail map pdf from the Forsyth park website.
Indian Seat Trail Information
- Length: 3.5 mile, with option to shorten (Just take the Yucca Trail back to parking lot after the Indian Seats lookout.)
- Type: Loop
- Elevation gain: about 500 feet (based on my gps)
- Dog Friendly: No
- Bike Friendly: No
The trail itself very well maintained. The day we visited, it was very dry. There had been no rain for weeks. The trail was made of compact sand and broken stones, mostly. Occasionally, you will walk over some larger stones or tree roots, but most of the trail looks like this:
I would expect that after it rains, the rocky parts would get slippery. Either way, I would wear shoes that have a good grip to them.
If you park at the 2500 Bettis Tribble Gap Rd parking lot and head to the right on the trail, the lookout is a little over a mile, up the mountain.
On this particular day, it was sunny in the morning. I was hoping to snap some beautiful fall colors from the lookout, however, by the time we got to the hike, the clouds rolled in.
It didn’t matter to my two little kids. They thought it was so cool to be in the clouds. I was disappointed by our view, but that is reason enough to plan for a return trip.
Parking Information
There are two places where you can park for the Indian Seats Trail hike. The address are at:
- 2500 Bettis Tribble Gap Rd, Cumming, GA 30040.
- 4075 Spot Rd, Cumming, GA 30040
If you park at the Bettis Tribble Gap Road lot, just note that Google maps GPS took us past the parking lot. We had to turn around.
If you park at the Visitor Center, you will access the Indian Seats trail from the Laurel Ridge Trail Spur.
The Indian Seats trail is part of the Sawnee Nature Preserve in Forsyth County.