Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

PARK OVERVIEW

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, a suburb north of Atlanta. It is the most visited battlefield in the National Park system, though that can be attributed to the fact that it is the only battlefield located in one of the country’s Top 10 most populated cities—Atlanta—and not because it is the Civil War battlefield that sparks the most interest in people. The huge majority of visitors are locals who come to use the park’s 20-plus miles of hiking trails.

The park consists of a Visitor Center and Museum, Civil War historic sites, hiking trails, and picnic areas. On select weekends, the National Park Service invites various Civil War reenactors to demonstrate everything from soldier life during the war to the firing of historic weapons. Actual battle reenactments are not allowed in national parks.

While Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is comprised of roughly 3,000 acres, only a small portion contains any recognizable Civil War history, as most of the battlefield is now forested or was plowed under to make room for real estate development. Civil War attractions and recognizable terrain are located in two main areas, with minor sites scattered around the park. In the northern section, historical sites and exhibits can be found from the top of Kennesaw Mountain to Pigeon Hill. At the southern end of the park, the best preserved portion of the battlefield is at Cheatham Hill. A central section contains hiking trails that connect the northern and southern ends of the park together, but there are no significant Civil War historic sites in this area. Unless you are well versed in the history of the battle, be sure to spend time at the Visitor Center and Museum before heading out to explore the battlefield so that you understand what you will be looking at.

A thorough exploration of the park takes two days, which would include hiking a good portion of the trails. However, a person could stop at the Visitor Center and Museum and drive to the main Civil War points of interest in a day. Vehicles can take visitors to or near all of the major sites, though some require short walks from the parking area. Only the fastest hikers could trek from the northern to the southern ends of the park and back in a day, as such a hike would cover 16-20 miles. Thus, most people determined to see the battlefield on foot take two days to do so, one day to cover the Kennesaw Mountain area and one day to cover the Cheatham Hill area. Keep in mind that some historic sites can only be visited by hiking to them.

OPERATING HOURS

• BATTLEFIELD GROUNDS
  • Daylight Savings Time: 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM
  • Standard Time: 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM

• VISITOR CENTER
  • Daily from 9 AM to 5 PM

• VISITOR CENTER PARKING LOT
  • Daylight Savings Time: 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM
  • Standard Time: 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM

• OLD HWY 41 PARKING LOT
  • Daylight Savings Time: 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM
  • Standard Time: 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM

• PIGEON HILL PARKING LOT
  • Daylight Savings Time: 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM
  • Standard Time: 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM

•  CHEATHAM HILL PARKING LOT
  • Daylight Savings Time: 8 AM to 7:30 PM
  • Standard Time: 8 AM to 5:30 PM

• KENNESAW MOUNTAIN ROAD
  • Daylight Savings Time: Weekdays from 8:30 AM to 7 PM
  • Standard Time: Weekdays from 8:30 PM to 5 PM
  • Closed to private vehicles on the weekends, but a shuttle bus is available

• All facilities are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The park is a day use park only, meaning no camping.
• Any cars that remain in the parking lots after hours will be towed and ticketed.

Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to check the official Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park’s Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the current schedule.

FEES

There is a fee to use any of the parking lots within Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. You can purchase a daily pass or an annual Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield pass. The various National Park annual passes are also good for parking. If you have a physical pass (size of a credit card), either leave it on the dashboard of your vehicle or hang it from the rear view mirror in the hang tag that it comes with. Be sure Rangers can read the expiration date, which is on the backside of the pass. Electronic passes are tied to your license plate number.

All of the parking lots except for the Gilbert Street, Kolb Farm, Kennesaw Mountain Summit, and Horse Trailer lots have pay stations that take credit cards for day and annual Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield parking passes. These are also available at the Visitor Center and online at Recreation.gov. Purchase annual National Park passes either at the Visitor Center or online at the USGS Store. For the latest fees, see the National Park Service’s official Fees and Passes web page.

Riding the weekend shuttle bus to the top of Kennesaw Mountain is included in the price of admission to the park. Admission is considered purchasing a parking permit.

SCHEDULING YOUR VISIT

Visitor Center (allow 1-3 hours)

Hiking Trails (25+ miles of trails)

Battlefield sites are spread out over a large area. Plan to spend at least one day at the park to see them by car, and those hiking to the sites can easily spend two days, perhaps even three.