The name appears to be derived from the Cherokee word ᏊᏩᎯ (quu-wa-hi) meaning "stand alone".

[2][3] Technically a part of the Georgia Piedmont or "foothill" province, Currahee Mountain rises abruptly about 800 vertical feet (240 m) above the local topography and is the highest peak in Stephens County.

On clear days, the peak's 1,735-foot (529 m) summit is visible for many[quantify] miles and is a prominent landmark to the southeast of Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountain crest.

[8] The mountain is featured in Tom Hanks' and Steven Spielberg's television miniseries Band of Brothers, in which it was a training site of the American Paratroopers at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, where they ran up and down Currahee.

[citation needed] The mountain is a popular destination for rock climbing and rappelling.