Big Canoe homes: the gated community on the Dawson County line

Big Canoe is a gated private residential community: gate access is limited to property owners, their guests and rental guests. Its official site describes more than 8,000 acres, 3 lakes, 3 waterfalls, over 20 miles of trails, 27 holes of golf and more than 50 clubs.

Gated mountain community

Big Canoe

A gated community of more than 8,000 acres on the Pickens and Dawson county line, reached by Hwy 53 west.

• Lake
• Outdoors
• Gated

• Gate access is limited to property owners, their guests and rental guests.
• Big Canoe lists 3 lakes, 3 waterfalls and more than 20 miles of hiking trails.
• Its three lakes are inside the gate, for the community.

Check first: Part of Big Canoe is in Dawson County and part in Pickens. The county decides the tax bill and schools, so check the parcel.

Big Canoe homes

Which county is a Big Canoe home in?

Big Canoe calls itself a Pickens County community, but its property owners’ association tells residents that 911 will ask whether they are in Pickens or Dawson. Part of it is in Dawson County. The county on the parcel record decides the tax bill, the school district and county services, so look it up before you compare two homes. Dawson County homes use the estimator on this site; Pickens County sets its own rates.

Getting there

The POA’s directions follow Hwy 53 west from Dawsonville about 16 miles to Steve Tate Hwy; the Main Gate is 1.5 miles up and the North Gate 4 miles. From the main gate, OpenStreetMap routing estimates about 62 minutes to Alpharetta City Hall and 82 to the State Capitol in free-flowing traffic.

What to check on a Big Canoe home

• The county, from the parcel record.
• The community’s assessments, architectural rules and rental rules, from the POA.
• Whether the home is on septic; records for Dawson County homes are kept by Dawson County Environmental Health.
• If you plan to rent by the night, Dawson County requires a short-term rental permit on top of any community rules.