Hiker rescued from remote Cohutta Wilderness trail in Fannin County
The Georgia Department of Natural Resource Aviation unit helps rescue a hiker from the Cohutta Wilderness in Fannin County on May 17, 2026. (Fannin County EMA)
FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. - A hiker is safe after being injured along one of the most rugged trails in Fannin County over the weekend.
What we know:
A 911 call came in around 2:30 p.m. to report the injured hiker in a very remote area of the Cohutta Wilderness. The Rough Ridge Trail, Beech Bottom Trail and Jacks River Trail area is extremely difficult to access, with multiple creek crossings, washouts and sections that are no longer maintained.
Timeline:
Rescuers were eventually able to reach the hiker around 7:29 p.m. and decided to utilize Georgia DNR Aviation to remove the hiker from the area. The hiker was able to get to the staging area just after 8 p.m. The rescuers were able to get out of the woods safely by 11 p.m.
What they're saying:
"This was a long and physically demanding operation, and we are extremely grateful for the teamwork, professionalism and dedication shown by everyone involved in bringing this incident to a successful conclusion," the EMA posted along with a video on Facebook.
The EMA and the Fannin County Fire Department also thanked the Tri-State Mutual Aid, Georgia DNR, Georgia DNR Aviation, Murray County Rescue Squad, Polk County EMA, West Polk Fire Department and Wolf Creek Fire Department for help with the rescue, and they particularly thanked the Murray County Rescue Squad for the video.
"We would also like to thank Georgia DNR Aviation for their assistance with the aerial extraction, which helped safely remove the patient from a very remote location and transfer them to EMS care," Murray County Public Safety posted to Facebook.
They continued, "Rescues like this are a reminder of the skill, endurance, and commitment required from trained rescue teams in our region. When emergencies happen in remote terrain, getting to the patient is only the beginning and Murray County Rescue Squad represented our community exceptionally well."
What we don't know:
It remains unknown what specific injuries the hiker sustained or what caused the accident along the trail. Officials have not released the identity or gender of the hiker who was rescued. It is also unconfirmed which specific section of the unmaintained trails the hiker was located on when rescuers first arrived.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Fannin County EMA, who explained how we got it via an official video and statement posted to Facebook, as well as the Fannin County Fire Department.