The Nature Conservancy in Georgia

Animals At Risk

Cave salamanders

Plants at Risk

Ecosystems at Risk

Oak hickory forest
Massive natural rock garden
500 million year old Conasauga limestone

Directions

From Atlanta:
Take I-75 North past Cartersville. Take GA 20 to Rome. At Rome Interchange (US 411/US 27) stay on US 411. Count 3 miles (to flashing yellow light and FINA gas station). Turn right onto Walker Mountain Road. Travel 1.5 miles. Turn right onto Black's Bluff Road. Travel 1.7 miles and park across from quarry.

Contact Information

Please contact Preeya Philipp at (404)253-7216 or pphilipp@tnc.org to plan your visit.

North Georgia Conservation Office
125 Redbud Road, NE
Suite 2
Calhoun, GA 30701
(706) 879-6027I

Located in Floyd County, near Rome in northwest Georgia, Black’s Bluff includes 263 acres of exceptional botanical diversity. The area’s biodiversity was first documented in the 19th century by botanists from the Vanderbilts’ Biltmore Estate as they ranged out from Asheville, North Carolina to record regional flora of the southeastern United States. Described as a “massive natural rock garden,” the site is a rich oak-hickory forest growing on a steep outcrop of 500 million year old Conasauga limestone along the Coosa River.

The site’s unique structure and composition account for its vaunted diversity of plant life. The steep north face remains cooler and moister than surrounding areas, receiving less sunshine. Combined with the alkalinity of the lime-rich soil, the microclimate provides perfect growth conditions for rare and unusual plants like the endangered large-flowered skullcap, a perennial herb in the mint family, and the state-endangered limerock arrowwood, which grows almost exclusively in northwest Georgia. The site is also home to a number of northern plants usually not found in the south, including Dutchman’s breeches. Local fauna is an additional attraction. A number of salamander species inhabit the forest and streams, and cave salamanders dwell in the limestone caverns.

A walking trail opens the site to visitors. Volunteer work parties regularly aid the Nature Conservancy in management, and the site may be the first in Georgia to be fully protected through Conservancy efforts.