The Tearbritches Trail is a 3.4 mile hike which is actually part of an 87-mile trail system of the Cohutta Wilderness which stretches a total of 36,977 acres of land area. The Cohutta Wilderness consists of a network of 15 trails. It is a moderate to strenuous trail to hike as is makes a steep climb to Bald Mountain which has an elevation of 4,000 feet. The trail is marked by orange blazes. The outdoor features of this trail include a camping ground, river scenic views, and river or stream crossings.
The trail starts a quick ascent to the top of Bald Mountain and then dipping down onto the Bray Field to the Conasauga River. The terrain on this trail is rugged and quite steep. The trail immediately starts an uphill climb for half a mile towards the Bald Mountain’s summit. At this section, the trail then makes a steep descent to Bray Field and the Conasauga River marking 3.4 miles.
The trailhead for this Fannin Country Georgia hike is at the FS 68 and FS 64 junction wherein you take a left turn towards Lake Conasauga following the FS 68. Move past the Chestnut Lead Trail at around 2 miles along the way and proceed to another 1.5 miles. At this point, the trailhead for Tearbritches can be seam right near a kiosk. The trail stops at the Bray Field where Hickory Creek and Conasauga River intersect. There is a campground around the vicinity of Lake Conasauga which is also an intersection for other trails around the wilderness trail system.
At this point, the Hickory River Trails and the Conasauga River Trail proceed to a left turn for 1.3 miles on a dry path. A series of wet footpath crossings is to be expected at the Conasauga River Trail which ends at around 6.4 miles from here. Set off at Bray Field curving right, the Conasauga River Trail proceeds half a mile towards the intersection of the Panther Creek Trail where the path ends at the Betty’s Gap for say around 4.9 miles.
Crossing the Conasauga River once, the Panther Creek Trail makes difficult ascent towards the summit of the Panther Creek Falls. From here, the trail moves furthers a 2-mile climb towards the East Cowpen Trail. But if you want to move back to the Hickory Creek Trail starting at the Bray Field, cross the river once and then go straight ahead for 5.7 miles to the end of the trail.