Kennesaw Mountain- Big and Little with twice the fun

Kennesaw Mountain located between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia offers a wonderful in town hike with two summits; ”Big Kennesaw” and “Little Kennesaw”.  Big Kennesaw has a summit elevation of 1,808 feet (551m) above sea level and Little Kennesaw is 1,610 feet above sea level.  In addition to the hiking we all enjoy, Kennesaw Mountain is full of history including information about Battle of Kennesaw Mountain that was fought during the Civil War in 1864. In 2010 it topped the charts as the most-visited Civil War battlefield park in the county.

This is a wonderful hike for those that wanting to advance to the next level of hiking.  Since we will be going at a moderately fast pace, this hike is intended for intermediate to advanced hikers with recent D4/D5 hiking experience.  This is not a beginner hike.

We will start out at the visitor center where we will all sign-in and get to know each other with a brief introduction.  We will then hike up the 700 feet elevation change to the top of Big Kennesaw.  At the top we will have a scenic overlook of Atlanta.  After gazing off at the wonderful views we will head over Little Kennesaw to Burnt Hickory Road.  Here you will find a small water fountain to get a quick drink because we will quickly head back to the visitor center the same way we came.  However, we will not be doing this path once but twice.  That means going up Big Kennesaw from the visitor center two times and visiting the Burnt Hickory Road water fountain twice. 

The Hike will start at 9:30 am, so please plan on arriving a few minutes early. We will be going at a fast pace and should finish in approx 4.5 hours.  Please meet at the visitor’s center.  You can find parking at either the Main visitor’s parking lot, which has limited spots or the newer parking lot located off of old US Hwy 41. Please allow yourself additional time to park and walk to the visitor center from the old US 41 parking lot. 

If you bring a pet please be mindful of others and keep your pet on a leash, as this is also the park rules.  In addition please pick up after your pets.  The leash should be no longer than 6 feet in length. Limited to 3 pets.

Trail Map Link: http://www.kennesawmountaintrailclub.org/documents/KEMO-park-map.pdf

From I-75 South: Exit 269- Barrett Parkway. Take a left off the exit and head under I-75 towards N. Cobb Parkway. Pass over Cobb Parkway and take a left on Old Highway 41. Here you will pass the new parking lot. Turn right onto Stilesboro Road and immediately on the left you will find the Visitor Center and the Main Parking lot. From I-75 North Exit 269- Barrett Parkway. Take a right off the exit and towards N. Cobb Parkway. Pass over Cobb Parkway and take a left on Old Highway 41. Here you will pass the new parking lot. Turn right onto Stilesboro Road and immediately on the left you will find the Visitor Center and the Main Parking lot From 575 North Exit 269- Barrett Parkway. Take a right off the exit and towards N. Cobb Parkway. Pass over Cobb Parkway and take a left on Old Highway 41. Here you will pass the new parking lot. Turn right onto Stilesboro Road and immediately on the left you will find the Visitor Center and the Main Parking lot