Read more about the article Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park – Kennesaw, GA

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park – Kennesaw, GA

A while back, I wrote a post about the two-mile hike up to Kennesaw Mountain. At 1,800 feet, the summit offers visitors 360-degree views of Atlanta and the North Georgia mountains. While a popular hiking spot for Atlantans, many overlook the museum inside the visitor center, which details the Battle of Kennesaw in 1864.   

Thing 1, a recent college graduate with a major in Public History, has moved home and we’ve enjoyed exploring museums and historical spots around the Atlanta area. In all my visits to Kennesaw Mountain, I’ve never ventured to the museum or watched the historic film about the battlefield. Nor had I ever explored more trails of the almost 3,000-acre park.

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Read more about the article Kennesaw Mountain Hike

Kennesaw Mountain Hike

Thing 2 wanted to hike Kennesaw Mountain at sunrise. Since it was right after we’d changed our clocks forward, we thought it would be a great idea. Although we woke up a bit late, we hustled out the door and onto the highway in record time.

The Hike

From the parking lot, the 1-mile trail to the top of Kennesaw Mountain begins to the right of the visitor center. The path is wide and ascends quickly. I hadn’t stretched before taking the trail so I was trying to catch my breath.  Thing 2 was trying to reach the summit by sunrise so we hiked at a fairly fast pace. I should also mention that I was lugging the nicer camera with me, adding to the weight on the trail. Fortunately after one-third of the way to the top, the path flattens out for a short while when it follows an old road bed. Here the width of the trail spans at least 8 feet wide.

The trail begins

The entire trails climbs up the eastern side of the mountain so we had the beginnings of the sunrise at our backs. A hiker with two dogs passed us when the trail steepened again. This time, several stairs appeared. At about two-thirds to the top, a bench with a view of the sunrise met us. We sat down for a while and rested. (more…)