Springer Mountain is world famous as the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT), a 2,100-mile foot trail leading north to Maine. Three trails converge on this mountaintop, the AT, the Benton MackKaye Trail (BMT), and the AT Approach Trail.

The BMT winds east, then west, crossing the AT, then east again, crossing the AT a second time, then finally west back to the AT, to form a triple loop. Loop hikes of five to ten miles are available here.

A few miles north of Springer Mountain is another very scenic area, Three Forks.  At this spot, three creeks, Long, Chester, and Stover Creeks converge to form one creek, Noontootla Creek.

On the AT to the south are the AT/BMT loops. Heading north from Three Forks, on the combined AT/BMT, leads one mile to a blue-blazed side trail on the left, leading to the pretty Long Creek Falls.

The AT/BMT north of this trail soon split, with the AT heading northeast towards North Carolina, and the BMT heading northwest to Tennessee.