Rabun County
Date Established: 1952
Original Acreage: Under 1,000 Acres
Current Acreage: 1,743 Acres

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By most accounts, the idea of a park on Black Rock Mountain's summit was first conceived by Rabun County native John V. Arrendale (1878-1972) some time in the mid 1930s. Arrendale began efforts to purchase land from a variety of landowners one parcel at a time, and the first 70-acre tract was acquired in 1938. Many early parcels were first deeded to Rabun County, then transferred from the county to the state in a single transaction. Land acquisition efforts continued from the late '30s through the 1940s, and Black Rock Mountain State Park was officially established in 1952.

The most recent large purchase was finalized in 1995 under Governor Zell Miller's Preservation 2000 program when two parcels totaling 301 acres were added to the park. This purchase served to protect the mountain's scenic south-slope immediately below the summit visitor center, along with a significant portion of Taylor Cove on the mountain's north side.

Straddling the Eastern Continental Divide and reaching altitudes of 3,640 feet, Black Rock Mountain contains the highest land inside the Georgia State Park system. In addition to Black Rock, the park's highest, four other knobs exceed 3,000 feet. The park, with yearly precipitation approaching 80 inches, protects exceedingly lush Appalachian forests and contains especially rich environments and diverse eco-systems.

Black bears are sighted in the park on a regular basis. Other wildlife includes bobcat, fox, groundhog, raccoon, opossum, rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk, red-tailed hawks, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, and a variety of songbirds. A northern hardwood forest covers much of the park and dense thickets of laurel and rhododendron line cascading streams. Deep mountain coves protect stands of white pine and Eastern hemlock, and numerous species of wildflowers and ferns carpet the forest floor. Some of the park's most popular features are its scenic overlooks, with Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountain vistas exceeding 80 miles in four states.

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