History & Hiking on Kennesaw Mountain

Kennesaw Mountain.

Well on Sunday, Deb and I went to our good friends Clint and Cindy Arrington's Super Bowl party. So, anyone who doesn't know by now it wasn't a good night (because most of us were for Denver).
Because the game is long and we now live over an hour from their house in Kennesaw, they were gracious enough to let us spend the night. Anyway, being in Kennesaw gave me an opportunity to go to the top of the last of the iconic Atlanta Mountains, Kennesaw Mountain.

Sawnee Mtn. from Kennesaw Mtn.

For those who don't know, the other two mountains are the taller Sawnee Mountain, which stands at 1,946 feet and the more famous 1,686 foot, Stone Mountain. Kennesaw weighs in at 1,808 feet.

Stone Mtn. from Kennesaw Mtn.

Kennesaw Mountain like its neighbor to the north, Sawnee, is a ridge with two peaks. The first where we hiked to is Big Kennesaw and about a mile southwest from its summit is Little Kennesaw
Mountain (1,600 feet). It did cross my mind to hike out there, but we got a late start because of the weather, it rained most of the morning so that will have to be a future trip.
Anyway, both peaks factored in to what the mountain is most famous for and that is the Civil War battle that took place on it slopes. When you arrive at the visitors center cannons stand outside front of the building, which is just cool. Inside there is tent that shows how the soldiers of that area lived a gift shop and museum. There were some informative displays in the museum, like guns, flags, uniforms and equipment.  I must add that the staff at the visitors’ center was very friendly and helpful.

1841 12lbs. howitzer & 1861 Wrought Iron Rifle.

Museum display.

Still, our main reason for coming was to go to the top of “Big
Kennesaw.” Now for the uninformed there are two ways to reach the summit. First one can drive to the top and as the nice lady at the visitors center informed us was just opened, because it had been closed for fog that morning. The second way up, which is never closed, is to hike the one-mile trail to the top. Guess which we chose?
The first thing about the trail up it is wide and well maintained, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since this is a National Battlefield and is under the care of the U.S. Park Service. Another thing was unlike

The more gentle Kennesaw trail.

Trail up Stone Mountain.

Stone Mountain, where the trail to the top was straight up, this one had switchbacks which make the trail easier and it was. The third thing I noticed was there was eeriness to the trail. I don’t know if it was because of the weather or just knowing that men fought and died on these slopes, but this mountain had a different feel, similar to Blood Mountain.
The feature on this mountain you don’t see on many others is the historical items. Whether it is the picket post, historical markers or cannons there was plenty of these all the way to the top. Near the summit area one first has to cross the parking lot and climb stairs to the observation deck, which is adorned with a plaque honoring the 14 Georgian Generals who served in the Confederate Army. It is here that the trail continues up to the summit. One will pass three cannons and the same number of historical markers, one details the fall of Atlanta, that can be seen in the distance.

Confederate Picket Post.

Parking Area & Observation Deck.

Plaque for 12 Georgian Confederate Generals.

Historical marker with Atlanta in background.

One of the cannons near the summit.

From the overlook to the summit there are spots where a wonderful view south of Atlanta, Buckhead, Marietta and the Chess Piece Buildings in Dunwoody can be seen. Out in the distance one also gets a good look at Stone Mountain. If you know where to look one can even spy Sawnee Mountain. It is obvious in summer that some of this view would be obstructed by tree cover. On this day it was just misty conditions that were the problem. To the north one is offered a nice view of Kennesaw and Cobb County. I would say on a clear day the mountains to the north would have been visible.

Downtown Atlanta.

Buckhead.

Marietta.

Chess Piece Buildings & Dunwoody.

Kennesaw.

The view is not the only reward for getting to the top. There was one more cannon and if you have ever read this blog you would know that another item I like to find at summits, U.S. Geological Markers, was easy to find this time. As summits go this was a nice one.

U.S. Geological Marker.

Cannon at the summit.

Well one of the cool things we ran across was a group of deer. The first time we encountered them was on the way up to the summit and I know Deb was excited because it was the first time she had seen any on the trail. However, on the way back we saw them again, this time right off the trail.

Deb with marker.

There was this time back in November on the old service road up to Black Mountain Fire Tower that I walked up on a deer and got as close as 20 yards, which at the time was the closest I had ever gotten to a living deer in the wild. This is nothing compared to this because I got to within 10 feet of these deer. In the photos I have posted here I barely had to use the zoom that’s how close I was. These deer were not a bit afraid of us. I mean they just looked at us and went back to eating, it was very cool.

Deer eating furgus off a tree.

Don't take my picture.

Yes, she noticed, but didn't run off.

So, that is about it, Deb was tried so we didn’t tour anymore of the battlefield park, but I would like to go back sometime in the future, because I enjoyed my time at Kennesaw Mountain. The other thing was that half-hour after we left the park it cleared off and turned it a sunny day, that’s Atlanta.
If you want to view more pictures checkout my Facebook photos.