The drive · Central Florida
From Orlando to Holly Creek
From the Orlando area to Ellijay runs roughly 500 miles, about eight to eight and a half hours on the road, and most of it is I-75. Sherpa Camp is 25 minutes past Ellijay, on Holly Creek at the western edge of the Cohutta Wilderness.
No. 1
The route
Take the Florida Turnpike north to I-75 at Wildwood and follow I-75 through Atlanta. North of the city, take I-575 toward the mountains. It becomes Highway 515 and runs to Ellijay, where the road turns west toward the Cohuttas. The last stretch is gravel. We send the final turns 24 hours before you arrive.
No. 2
Splitting the drive
Eight hours with children is a long day. If you split it, Macon sits well past the halfway mark and leaves about three hours of driving for the next morning, which puts you on the creek by lunch.
No. 3
Arriving
Reach the gravel in daylight if you can. The last miles are narrow and rocky, and cell service fades before you arrive, so load the directions while you still have signal.
No. 4
The last stop
Ellijay is the last town. Do the shopping there, firewood included. From town it is 25 minutes to the cabin, and the second trip back for the forgotten thing is not a short one.
No. 5
When you get here
The cabin sleeps five, and Holly Creek runs past the porch, shallow enough for small children to wade. Barnes Creek Falls, a roadside waterfall with a picnic table, is five minutes down the road for the first morning.
Pack a layer. The creek runs cold all summer and the valley cools off after dark.
The region
Where the cabin sits.
Related field notes
Read the road, creek, trail, and weather.
Come along.
Stay for a few days, learn the road, and leave enough daylight to cross the bridge before dark.
Availability, pricing, reviews, and reservations are currently managed through Airbnb.