Pine Mountain to Coopers Furnace

This is one of my favorite hikes.  It starts from Main Street Parking lot, just off Komatsu Drive. We will go counter-clockwise on the West Trail on a fairly steep and rocky path up to the Pine Mountain Overlook. There we'll take a moment for pictures. Then we'll head over to the East loop and go counter-clockwise until we head south to Cooper's Furnace. We'll stop at the picnic tables along the Etowah River for a 10 minute break and snack.  Continuing on we'll climb up to the lookout over Allatoona Lake Dam. At this point we'll walk through the Visitor Center parking lot. Entering the woods again, we'll connect with the East Loop once again and continue the counter-clockwise direction completing the East Loop and then the West Loop until we're back at our parking lot.  

The second half of our hike includes many uphill switchbacks that can be tiring, especially in warm weather.  We will pause along the way, as needed for water breaks. The trails are mostly in the forest shade, but we will encounter some direct sun.

Take I-75 north to exit 288 (Cartersville - Main Street).  Turn right to the end of Main Street, then right on Komatsu Drive.  Turn left into the parking lot at the "Main Street Parking" sign.

There are Porta-Pots at the Main Street Parking lot where we meet. There are also restrooms where we stop at Cooper's Furnace and we will go by the Visitor Center, however, we can not count on either of these being open.