In this section of the trail you descend about 50 feet overall. Woody Gap checks in at 3,160 feet and Neels Gap is 3,109 feet in elevation. In between the two are some of the most scenic views of the trail, and one the trail's busiest intersections.
After ascending Big Cedar, the trail descends into Miller Gap where the Dockery Lake Trail ends. This area has the best view of the Blood Mountain Scenic Area. Baker Mountain rises after Miller Gap. After crossing Baker and a couple of smaller mountains, the path winds into Jarrard Gap, where the Jarrard Gap Trail intersects. The 2 miles to Slaughter Gap are nondescript, but at the next intersection the Slaughter Creek Trail joins the AT.
When the Cherokee first began to migrate to Georgia a tremendous battle took place here, hence the name Slaughter Gap. Other geographical names (Blood and Slaughter Mountain) in the area were related to this battle.
At this point the Appalachian Trail turns right (watch for a red wooden sign on the right), and traveling almost due east, the trail begins ascending Blood Mountain, the highest point on the trail in Georgia, on a set of rock steps. The steps quickly end but the trail continues as a combination of switched-backs and straight-line ascents. This section of the trail is heavily traveled, with many people on day hikes from Lake Winfield Scott. On the right is a loop with seven campsites, then the Duncan Ridge Trail ends at the AT.
As you near the top of Blood Mountain tree height decreases and many trees become gnarled and wind-swept. At the summit of the mountain, after a relatively new toilet on the left, a two room stone cottage that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's is almost directly on the trail. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. From Blood Mountain the trail makes one of it's steepest descents in Georgia into Neels Gap. About a mile and half down the trail it intersects with the Blood Mountain Spur Trail. From this point it is about a mile to Highway 19/129. All of this segment can be easily accessed with some short drives from Long Mountain Lodge.
