Soque River Exploration
By James Sullivan 
The Soque River. Author and outdoorsman James Sullivan explores the headwaters of the Soque River in Habersham Couny’s Tray Mountain Wilderness on rugged four-wheel-drive Forest Service roads, then returns to civilization to eat and shop at locations like the Mark of the Potter in Clarkesville, pictured here.
Sitting on the rock outcrop along the trail to the Tray Mountain Appalachian Trail shelter, a spectacular view of a steep, wild watershed unfolds to the east. This is the headwaters of the left fork of the Soque River, which is a 29-mile long major tributary of the Chattahoochee River in the headwaters area.
Most of the left fork of the Soque is in the Tray Mountain Wilderness Area, providing a wonderful opportunity for adventurous folks to explore a wild headwaters area. The area has no marked or maintained trails, but there are many trails and old roadbeds to use. You will feel more confident with a USGS topographical map and compass or GPS to find your way to the waterfalls and beautiful campsites on the North and South Prongs of the Soque and Wolfpen Branch.
There are only two reasonable ways to access the Soque headwaters area.
Hiking from FSR 79 north of Chimney Mountain Road, you can climb over the ridge to the South Prong. Chimney Mountain Road does a loop north of GA 356 in White County northeast of Unicoi State Park. The last time I drove FS 79, the road was not in good enough condition to travel in a passenger vehicle; a very high clearance 4-wheel drive was needed to get up to the places to cross over into the Soque Watershed.
Hiking from the end of FSR 166 gets you into Wolfpen Branch and the North Prong. Take GA 197 0.1 mile north from GA 356, turn left onto Goshen Creek Road, go 1.2 miles then left on Goshen Mountain Road, go 0.5 miles to end of pavement, bear right on gravel 2 miles to FSR 166 on left, another 0.5 mile brings you to a parking area. Following the trail to the southwest from the parking area will take you into the Tray Mountain Wilderness Area and the headwaters of the Soque River. The Lake Burton and Tray Mountain USGS maps are a necessity.
Anyone visiting the area should always be aware that the condition of Forest Service and other roads are always dynamic, particularly after storms in the region.
Access to the river for fishing downstream of the wilderness area is limited by private ownership of the river. There are two access areas on national forest land for fishing. These are at 3.5 and 3.8 miles south of GA 255 on GA 197. There is no canoeing access and landowners are unfriendly to paddlers.
Side Trips, Shopping and Dining
Stops at several local businesses are very worthwhile.
- Nearby is the famous Batesville Store, featuring wonderful food from the grill and oven as well as basic groceries. Read more about Batesville.
- Traveling south down GA 197, one mile from Batesville is the Serendipity Shop, featuring stained glass.
- Mark of the Potter occupies an old mill on the Soque River on GA 197 two miles south of Batesville. Mark of the Potter features a remarkable selection of local arts and crafts and a back porch above the river from which you can view and feed the giant trout in the pool below.
Soque River Facts
- The Soque River and the Soque River Watershed are located entirely within the county boundaries of Habersham County in northeast Georgia. No other county in Georgia possesses a watershed the size and shape of the Soque from its headwaters to its mouth.
- The Soque is a tributary of the Chattahoochee River.
- The Soque is 30 miles long.
- The highest point in the watershed occurs on 4,430-foot Tray Mountain.
Links:
- The Soque River Watershed Association is a non-profit organization working to protect and restore the Soque River in Northeast Georgia. Learn more about the SRWA.
- The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is a non-profit environmental group working to protect the Chattahoochee and its tributaries, including the Soque.
- Read more about the Chattahoochee River.