Pave the Appalachian Trail

The Wayah Bald Grille is the only Wayah to dine in style! Wayah Bald is a beautiful part of the Nantahala National Forest, and is a very popular hiking destination during the summer.

Restauranteurs will particularly appreciate the 5-star dining menu, and our unique, 3 waitress-per-table system. Not only will you be dining like a king, but you’ll feel like one too!

Known for its lack of trees, Wayah Bald, whose name derives from the Cherokee word wa ya, meaning wolf. Wayah Bald was named so because of the large population of red wolves that were banished by excessive hunting and poaching.

In 1937, the CCC constructed a stone observation tower for fire detection. It also really makes this a great hike! Due to the generous funding by the Pave the Appalachian Trail foundation in early 2007, construction crews were finally given the go-ahead to demolish the shaky stone tower eyesore and rebuild the Wayah Bald Grille. Workers were careful to reuse stones from the original tower and put them to better use on the Wayah Bald Grille’s signature fireplace.

Note: The Wayah Bald Grille serves only rare meat, due to restrictions in this jurisdiction. For patrons not accustomed to meat cooked rare, guests will have first come, first serve access to our outdoor grills. Charcoal and lighter fluid are available at the Wayah Bald Gift Center.

Blood Mountain Cafe is the single-highest restaurant located on the highest peak of the Appalachian Trail through Georgia. Perched brightly on the sixth-tallest mountain in Georgia with an elevation of 4,458 feet, it’s Union Countys favorite cafe! Located within the Chattahoochee National Forest and the Blood Mountain Wilderness, the Blood Mountain Cafe features dishes of local favorites and a fantastic selection of Northern Georgia local brews.

Formerly a hiking shelter built by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, the Blood Mountain Cafe boasts a 24-room hostel, each with separate bathrooms and hot showers.  The original shelter was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934 and was up until March of 2008, included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Before construction, numerous Blood Mountain and Appalachian Trail hikers made ill-prepared trips and suffer dehydration during the summer months. The Blood Mountain Cafe is the only cafe in the world that takes hikers’ safety into consideration, by constructing a large network of water fountains along a section of the trail. Water fountains are featured every .5 miles along the trail.