Kennesaw Park Trail Mix - Seven Hills

Join me for another late winter hike at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park!  We will be hiking the middle section of the park, and finding as many of the small hills as possible but with a total altitude gain (and loss) of only 1180 feet.  Starting at the parking lot, we will cross Burnt Hickory Road and go up Pigeon Hill to the first cutoff toward the Camp Brumby Trail.  Then we will come back to the middle section to cover the three side loops, visiting the site of the former New Salem Church, some confederate earthworks, see some thick forest where the union soldiers camped, and cross Noses Creek if the water it is not too high.  We will return down the main gravel trail and across the big new bridge, covering at least 5 miles in about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on how much we stop and any side trails we explore.  This will be an easy D3 so will be a good transition hike if you are used to D2.

There is a nice quiet place by a creek in the middle of the third loop where it may be good to stop for a few minutes if anybody wanted a snack (and it's not too cold).

Here are the directions to the trailhead (Burnt Hickory Parking Lot) west of Marietta, GA. 

Going north on I-75 near Marietta, take exit 263 (120 South Loop towards Southern Polytechnic and Marietta).  Follow the 120 South Loop west for about 3 miles to Whitlock Ave.  The "loop" makes a hard right after you cross under the tracks (but you can't miss it).  Then turn left (west) on Whitlock Ave and go about 2.5 more miles. (Whitlock Ave is also known as GA Hwy 120 and Dallas Hwy.)   Turn right (north) on Burnt Hickory Road and go about 1.3 miles.  The parking lot is on the left.

Specifics for GPS and maps.google.com users:
Lat, Long: 33.963365, -84.594930
Address: 1521 Burnt Hickory Road, Marietta, GA 30064

The only water available in this section of the park is near the parking lot, so please bring something to carry water in.
There are no bathroom facilities in this part of the park.
Parking is free!