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OK, this is what I came up with:

Saturday: Start at Three Forks Mtn parking lot in Cohutta -> East Cowpen Trail -> Rough Creek Trail -> Sugar Cove Branch -> Jacks River Trail -> Jacks River Falls (9.2 mile) (assuming that we can camp in that area)

Sunday: Rice Camp Trail -> Hickory Creek Trail -> Panther Creek Trail -> Panther Creek Falls (11 miles)
Monday: Panther Creek Trail -> East Cowpen Trail -> Three Forks Mtn parking lot (4 miles)

Total: 24 miles

Rating: easy to moderate, sometimes strenuous

The Estatoe Heritage Preserve is a beautiful, pristine wilderness area located in Pickens County, SC. This section is open to primitive camping on the Estatoe River.

We will hike two miles to the campsite and should be set up by noon and leave out Sunday afternoon. This will allow plenty of time to relax, explore the river, swim in the large plunge pool and do some trout fishing. The Estatoe is one of the few streams in upstate SC that supports a good population of native trout.

Distance: 4 miles out and back.

Elevation gain: 1200'

This is a joint venture with the Foothills Group.

As we don't have a lot of people this time (I wonder if there are any?), I decided to a closer place and explore the Foothills Trail, which is only 2 hours from Lawrenceville. It either going to be 10-12 miles in, and same out, or we can arrange a shuttle, and then it could be 8+8 miles. If Cindy goes with us for a day hike this could work really well.

Trail head should be about 2 hours from rabbit town which is off of exit #24 on I-985.
Going to follow the trail from Frozen Creek Access point to Foothills trail then hike to the river for lunch then hike back to trail head.
For as much information I could find click on this link:
http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/gorg/activities.php

Directions from web site: From Atlanta, GA, reach the park from I-85, taking South Carolina exit 2 onto SC 11 and traveling north toward Walhalla, SC. Turn north on SC 130, which becomes NC 281 at the North Carolina state line. Continue north on NC 281. The Grassy Ridge Access (west side of the park) is approximately seven miles north of the state line on the right. To reach the Frozen Creek Access (east side of the park), turn east on NC 64 in Sapphire. Travel toward Brevard approximately eight miles and turn right on Frozen Creek Road. The east entrance is three miles on the right.

I am not going that way. I am taking 441 up through Clayton then going toward Highlands on GA246 which will run into US 64. Continue East on US 64 and follow the tail end off the directions above.

Hello! I am posting this trip for Ann and her niece who are coming to Georgia from sunny Florida in the middle of April to do the Blood Mountain Loop (or could we recommend something better?). Ann is concerned about water sources on the trail, so any information will be appreciated.

She would like other people to join them, which I think makes a lot of sense, even though for most of us getting in the woods from Tuesday till Thursday is hardly possible.

This is what she has to say at this point:

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Our general plan is to drive up Monday, April 14 (from south Florida, about 8-10 hours) and stay at a hostel or at the campground at Lake Winfield Scott, then start out early Tuesday, camp on the trail Tuesday and Wednesday nights, back to hostel or campground Thursday night then drive back Friday.
Like I mentioned, I'm a complete novice at backpacking and my niece is clueless about the woods. She's very athletic though, so I have faith in her endurance. (and I've given her homework assignments like IDing poison ivy, learning basic first aid and walking her neighborhood with 25 pounds in her pack). But I really want her to get the whole experience, which includes meeting new people. So I would love for others to join us. The more the merrier. It would be safer and a better experience for my niece.
Any more information you could offer is greatly appreciated.
Have a great weekend! Cheers,
Ann