I just listed a home at 70 Thunderstruck Trail in Blairsville, GA, in the heart of an area known as Trackrock. This home borders a large tract of US Forest Service land that is home to the Track Rock Petroglyphs and Archeological site. Intrigued, I started doing some research on the site and found that is it is incredibly interesting and full of a history that is still largely unknown....
The Track Rock Petroglyphs are located in the gap between Thunderstruck Mountain and Buzzard Roost Ridge off of Trackrock Gap Rd. History is truly written in stone. This area of Trackrock Gap is home to a series of rock carvings (petroglyphs) believed to have been made by Native Americans. There are a large number of carvings and it is one of the most significant sites of this type in the Southeastern US..... hard to imagine that with today's technology that this site wasn't even discovered until 2009!
This area, full of folklore, myths and legends, is open to the public and free to visit. Morning and evening visits are recommended because the midday sun can make it difficult to see some of the artwork. Trackrock Gap Road is part of an ancient trade route that traveled north to south through the mountains. This site and trade route is estimated to have been in use since 1,000 A.D., with some speculating that it may be several thousands years older. Visitors can investigate 6 large boulders that display encrypted carvings along with several other smaller stones scattered about the site that appear to have some type of artwrok. These primitive carvings depict ancient symbols of human and animal forms. These carvings were created at different times and not all at once and each set of carvings appears to tell a story. Neither archeologists nor Native American experts have been able to decipher the true meaning of the symbols, so the stories remain a mystery.
Directions from Blairsville, take Hwy 76 E for 5 miles to right onto Track Rock Gap Rd (before the Towns Co line). Follow approximately 2 miles to the parking area on the right (before Thunderstruck Trl)
For more info, check out these sites:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recarea/?recid=64871
http://theblueridgehighlander.com/towns-county-georgia-trackrock-archaeological-area.php
http://www.exploregeorgia.org/listing/4796-trackrock-archaeological-area-cnf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aybqdno34cY
http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/track_rock.html
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