Hike in.
Return Restored.

Follow the Appalachian Trail to Big John Creek, where everyday life feels far away, nature feels close, and everything you need to rest, recover, and reconnect is waiting.

A.T. MILE 73.9 · ONE MILE HIKE IN · BIG JOHN CREEK · HIAWASSEE, GA · OPENING SPRING 2027

Hiawassee’s only hike-in, tent campground.

The Cut is a small creekside campground and A.T. hiker outpost designed for people who want to experience the wild without leaving every comfort behind.

With 15 secluded sites, hot showers, food, and recovery options, The Cut is both approachable for beginner hikers and rewarding for seasoned backpackers.

Join the Waitlist
Opening Spring 2027

Camp where cars can’t follow

A dense forest scene with tall trees, green leaves, and a small rocky creek running through the forest floor.

Near mile 74 of the Appalachian Trail, an old mountain cut drops from Plumorchard Gap down to Hightower Valley.

Long before marked trails and modern maps, this trail along Big John Creek carried Cherokees and gold miners through a quieter part of the mountains.

It was never built for crowds. And crowds never claimed it.

The Cut preserves that legacy: a natural creekside camp, private by design, reached on foot.

Choose your hike. Make the cut.

Whether you’re thru-hiking or just coming in for the weekend, The Cut gives you a comfortable place to land.

Close-up of a person crossing a stream on rocky terrain, wearing hiking boots and camouflage shorts, with water flowing around their feet.

1) Pick your route

Start anywhere along the A.T. or take a shorter route that gets you from the trailhead to camp in under two hours. Explore ways in.

Person relaxing in a hammock with a book and a water bottle in a green outdoor setting.

2) Camp your way

Bring your own gear or arrive at a site already outfitted with everything you need. See what we provide.

Once you reach camp, you won’t have to leave. Access our supply depot for simple breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and more throughout your stay, or ship a resupply package ahead, and we’ll have it waiting when you arrive.

Close-up of a fire in a campfire with glowing orange flames and burning logs, with ashes and small embers visible at the base.

3) Refuel

A well-appointed bathhouse, outdoor showers, and open-air tubs bring warm water to the edge of the woods. Soak, book a massage, or simply relax for a while before heading back to the trail.

A woman giving a massage to a man lying face down on a massage table outdoors in a forest setting.

4) Restore

“The Cut is a hidden gem in the mountains, like stepping back to a simpler time. It revives something in me that only the natural world can.”
— Jesse Dorphinghaus, Early Access Preview Guest

Built from what belongs here

The Cut is shaped by the land, not imposed on it.

Paths follow the terrain. Trees stay where they can. Rock, timber, and native growth become part of the camp instead of being cleared away.

The result is a place where you can experience nature as it was meant to be experienced: free from sprawling development and constant technology, but comfortable enough to rest deeply, recover fully, and stay awhile.

Bring the gear.
Or don’t.

The Cut offers outfitted primitive camping: Bring your own gear, or let us prepare the full creekside stay.

Pack in your own gear. We’ll provide the perfect spot to land.
A premium creekside or platform site for hikers with their own tent and setup. Includes bathhouse access and the option to add food, resupply, firewood, and other camp basics.

A backpack with a rolled sleeping mat and a front pocket, beside a pair of hiking boots, placed on grass.

Bring your own setup

A fully prepared creekside stay with tent, food, fire, bedding, and even string lights included.
The easiest, most complete way to stay at The Cut. All you have to do is hike in. Add on a massage or a soak in one of our cast iron tubs for the ultimate camping experience.

A sketch of a small outdoor camping platform with a tent and string lights, surrounded by plants and rocks.
A sketch of a small outdoor camping platform with a tent and string lights, surrounded by plants and rocks.

Arrive to a ready camp

Two hikers walking on rocky trail through lush green forest with mountain view in background and pink flowers in foreground.
Inside a camping tent, two people are lying with their feet visible, looking out at a small campfire and two chairs in a forest with a stream running through it.
Join the Waitlist

Waitlist members get first access when opening dates are released, along with opening-season savings and limited Cut gear.

Not everyone
makes The Cut

A person wearing hiking boots sitting on a moss-covered rock by a small creek in a dense forest.
A person wearing hiking boots sitting on a moss-covered rock by a small creek in a dense forest.

Some places let you visit the outdoors without leaving life behind.

A crowded campground. A car a few steps away. Nature within reach, but never far from the noise.

The Cut is different. Just 15 creekside campsites. No parking beside your tent. No golf carts. No RVs. No easy way in.

If that sounds inconvenient, there are easier places to camp.

If it sounds perfect, you might make The Cut.

“The adventure is part of what makes it special. Finding The Cut becomes part of your story.”
— Julynn Durkee, Early Access Preview Guest

Will you make The Cut?

The Cut stays small on purpose, with just enough sites to preserve the quiet and solitude that make this place worth the hike.

Join the waitlist for early booking access, opening-season savings, and a chance to get limited Cut gear when reservations open.

Join the Waitlist