An observation tower on the summit provides hikers with views that, on clear days, extend for more than 100 miles (160 km).

According to Native American legend, Rabun Bald is inhabited by fire-breathing demon people: some campers still report hearing strange sounds throughout the night.

[3] Rabun Bald was the site of the first fire tower in the area, which was constructed by Nick Nicholson, the first forest ranger in Georgia.

After the fire tower was taken out of service, a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew dismantled the tower's uppermost component, a metal-framed enclosure with glass windows that sat atop a stone base.

Leaving the stone base intact, the YCC crew replaced the metal "cabin" with a railed wooden observation platform.