Ellicott Rock Wilderness

Ellicott Rock Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Ellicott Rock Wilderness sign, in South Carolina just north of Burrells Ford
Location	Jackson / Macon counties, North Carolina; Oconee County, South Carolina; Rabun County, Georgia USA
Nearest city	Highlands, NC
Coordinates
Area	8,274 acres (33 km2)
Established	1975
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service

The Ellicott Rock Wilderness was designated in 1975 and currently consists of 8,274 acres (33.48 km²) surrounding the point at which Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina come together. It is the only wilderness that straddles three states. Approximately 2,021 acres (8.18 km²) are located in Georgia in the Chattahoochee National Forest, approximately 3,394 acres (13.74 km²) are located in North Carolina in the Nantahala National Forest, and approximately 2,859 acres (11.57 km²) are located in South Carolina in the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest. Bisecting the Wilderness is the Chattooga River, a Wild and Scenic River. The Wilderness is managed by the United States Forest Service and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The Wilderness is named for “Ellicott's Rock,” a rock on the east bank of the Chattooga River on which surveyor Andrew Ellicott chiseled a mark in 1811 to determine the border between Georgia and North Carolina.

The highest elevation in the Georgia portion of the Ellicott Rock Wilderness is the 3,672-foot (1,119 m) summit of Glade Mountain, which is also the high point of the Wilderness. The Chattooga River drops from 2,381 feet (726 m) to 2,100 feet (640 m) as it flows through the Wilderness. Fork Mountain, elevation 3,294, is the highest point in the South Carolina portion of the Elliott Rock Wilderness and is the second-highest summit in South Carolina.Fork Mountain is not the second highest mountain in South Carolina; that distinction lies with Hickory Nut Mountain at 3483 feet which is the highest mountain wholly within the state as Sassafrass Mountain has some of its base in North Carolina.

It was named to the National Register of Historical Places in 1973 - Object - #73001722.

See also

• List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
• Wilderness Act

External links

• US Forest Service entry for Ellicott Rock Wilderness
• Wilderness.net entry for the Ellicott Rock Wilderness
• GORP entry for the Ellicott Rock Wilderness
• Map of Ellicott Rock Wilderness
• Entry in Hiking the Carolinas for the Ellicott Rock Wilderness
• Sherpa Guide to the Ellicott Rock Wilderness
• TopoQuest Map showing location of Ellicott Rock