Overview of the Chieftains Trail

The Chieftains Trail is a 200 mile driving tour through Northwest Georgia that highlights our extensive Native American history. The estimated time to complete the entire tour is 2.5 days.

Each of the six stops along the trail is designed to highlight a specific area of Native American heritage. Woodland Indians built the enigmatic wall at Fort Mountain State Park, Moundbuilders the ceremonial and burial mounds at Etowah Indian Mounds State Park, Cherokee homes of Major Ridge and James Vann, the Cherokee Capital of New Echota. The Funk Heritage Center is the newest addition to the trail, combining information on the society and culture of all the Native American tribes that inhabited Northwest Georgia.

Additionally, there are a number of side trips, not part of the trail, but still interesting to visit, especially if you are a history buff or merely researching your Native American heritage. These are highlighted in the "Other Activities" section of the planning section.