Russell Scenic Highway & Unicoi Gap

The northern half of the Six Gap in one loop from Helen: the route climbs GA-75 to Unicoi Gap, turns onto GA-180 by Jacks Gap, takes the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway (GA-348) over Tesnatee and Hogpen Gap and comes back down to Helen. It's 41 miles. GA-348 has steep grades, so take the descent easy with a loaded bike, and it closes after snow. Helen's Oktoberfest runs every night until November 1, 2026, and fall-color weekends fill the town; there are no services in the gaps.

Helen is an old lumber town that rebuilt itself as an Alpine village, and it claims the longest-running Oktoberfest in the United States. In 2026 the festival ran Thursday to Sunday in September and every night from October 1 to November 1, and on those days and on fall-color weekends the center moves at walking pace. The route leaves north on GA-75 to Unicoi Gap, where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road and there's a trailhead lot, and then turns west on GA-180 past Jacks Gap, at the foot of the spur road to Brasstown Bald, Georgia's highest point. The spur isn't part of the route.

At the junction with GA-348 the route takes the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway, which crosses Tesnatee Gap and Hogpen Gap, where the Appalachian Trail crosses again and pull-offs look out over the mountains. The road is steep, so ride the descent with care if the bike is loaded, and it usually closes after snow. The trailhead lots at both gaps are small and fill with hikers in spring. GA-348 then drops back toward the Nacoochee valley and the loop ends in Helen. There are no services in the gaps.