Payne Knob
About
Payne Knob is a summit of 3,413 feet in the Blue Ridge Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests in north Georgia, about 10 miles from Blairsville. October is a comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Blairsville run to highs around 70°F and lows near 43°F that month, and the summit sits higher than that station, so temperatures up top run cooler. Fish Knob Trail lies about a mile away, and Duncan Ridge Trail is about 2 miles off. Cooper Creek Campground is roughly 3 miles away. For time on the water, the Toccoa River is about 6.5 miles from the summit.
Summit Facts
Summit elevation
3,413 ft
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Payne Knob
Georgia
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Mar–Nov. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 60–85°F and lows of 33–62°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Blairsville Exp Stn, GA weather station, 9.2 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan49° high25° low
- Feb53° high28° low
- Mar60° high34° low
- Apr69° high41° low
- May76° high50° low
- Jun82° high58° low
- Jul85° high62° low
- Aug84° high61° low
- Sep80° high55° low
- Oct70° high43° low
- Nov61° high33° low
- Dec52° high29° low
The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this spot, so expect it to run cooler up here.
Where it is
- Blue Ridge Ranger District · Ranger district
- Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests · National forest
- Nearest town
- Blairsville, Georgia · 9.6 mi
Conditions
Active alerts for Blue Ridge Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:
Grassy Gap - Horseshoe Ridge Road FSR 55 Temporary Road Closure - Blue Ridge Ranger District
caution · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Fish Knob TrailHiking1.3 mi
- Duncan Ridge TrailHiking1.8 mi
- Cooper Creek CampgroundCamping2.9 mi
- Deep Hole Rec. AreaCamping5.1 mi
- Toccoa RiverCanoeing6.5 mi
- Nottely LakeLake fishing8 mi
- Preacher's Rock BouldersRock climbing9.7 mi
- big cheeseRock climbing9.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
