Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway: Helen to Blairsville
14 miles of Georgia Highway 348 through the Chattahoochee National Forest between Helen and Blairsville, on the eastern side of the Russell–Brasstown Scenic Byway. Rolling mountain curves rather than tight switchbacks.
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Georgia DOT closes this road as a precaution ahead of snow, ice or freezing rain — a routine practice here, not a rare event. Check current Georgia road conditions before a winter trip. Check current access ↗ · Reviewed 2026-09-17
Planning the drive
This road's reputation is rolling, moderate curves rather than a technical climb, and the bend density backs that up — 60 bends and 14 switchbacks over 14 miles, a lower density than the Dragon or Devil's Whip. What the reputation undersells is grade: our own elevation data found an 11.5% maximum, steeper than several roads in this catalog rated Technical. Expect that steepness in short sections within an otherwise easy-cruising drive, not as the road's constant character.
Georgia DOT treats winter closure here as routine rather than exceptional — the road closes as a precaution ahead of snow, ice or freezing rain, not only after conditions turn genuinely dangerous. Check current Georgia road conditions before a winter or early-spring trip. Now Habersham: GA 348 winter closure notice ↗
Roads to connect
Driving notes updated .
Road shape
- Length
- 14 mi
- Bends
- 60
- Switchbacks
- 14
- Bends per mile
- 4.3
- Turning per mile
- 423°
- Curviest rank
- 75of 141
Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.
Elevation
- Total climb
- 4,206ft
- Climb per mile
- 300ft
- Highest point
- 3,455ft
- Steepest grade
- 11.5%
Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.
Speed limits
Varies
Unverified
Check posted signs along the road.
OpenStreetMap tags this route at 30 mph, but this project does not treat OSM tags alone as a verified source. Follow posted signs.
Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.
Sources
Difficulty 2/3 (Winding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Medium speed” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:
- Wikipedia: Russell–Brasstown Scenic Byway ↗
- Now Habersham: GA 348 winter closure notice ↗
- OpenStreetMap road data ↗ (1 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-16. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.
Roads nearby
Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.