Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park map (click to enlarge)

There are over 25 miles of trails within Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. While it is possible to hike round trip all the way from the northern end of the park at the Visitor Center to the southern end at the Kolb Farm on a 16.2-mile loop, this would be challenging for most people. Furthermore, because there is no camping in the park, anyone attempting to hike the entire loop would have to do it in a day. Fortunately, there are cut-through trails that allow the main loop to be broken into numerous smaller loop hikes to fit anyone’s hiking ability and schedule. The 5.4-mile Kennesaw Mountain Loop Hike covers the northern end of the park; the 3.5-mile Noses Creek Loop Hike covers the central section; and the 5.3-mile Kolb Farm Loop Hike covers the southern end. Maps for all of these hikes are available at the Visitor Center.

There are other trails in the park that are not covered on any of the loop hikes. The educational Environmental Trail starts at the Visitor Center Picnic Area. The 24-Gun Battery Trail, which passes the location of a Union 24-gun artillery battery, can be accessed from the Visitor Center or from its own parking lot on Gilbert Road. There are additional side trails in the Cheatham Hill area, and it is also possible just to hike to the summit of Kennesaw Mountain and back, which is the most popular hike in the park.

While most of the trails pass through the forest, the trees are tall and the canopy is high, so there is still plenty of sun hitting the trails. If avoiding the sun is important to you, be sure to wear a hat and apply sunscreen. Regardless of where you hike within the park during the summer, expect high temperatures and high humidity, a recipe for misery. Winter, spring, and fall hiking is a pleasure.

Accessing any of the trails requires parking somewhere within Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, and there is a fee to use any of these parking lots. You can purchase a daily pass or an annual Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield pass. The various National Park annual passes are also good for parking. All of the parking lots except for the Gilbert Street, Kolb Farm, and Horse Trail lots have pay stations that take credit cards. You can also purchase passes of all types at the Visitor Center or online at Recreation.gov. 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. Be sure Rangers can read the expiration date, which is on the backside of the pass. For the current parking fees, see the National Park Services official Fees and Passes web page.

I hiked most trails in the park, and I have provided complete details about each hike and plenty of photos on the following web pages. Times given are estimates and include seeing any historical sites, taking photos, and periodically stopping for a rest.

24-Gun Battery Trail (2.4 miles round trip / 1 hour)

Assault Trail (.8 mile round trip / 20 minutes)

Cease Fire Trail (1.8 mile round trip / 1 hour)

Environmental Trail (1.3 mile / 45 minutes)

Kennesaw Mountain Summit Trail (2 miles round trip / 1.5 hours)

Kennesaw Mountain Loop Hike (5.4 miles / 4 hours)

Kolb Farm Loop Hike (5.3 miles /3 hours)

New Salem Church Trail  (.7 mile one way / 30 minutes)

Noses Creek Loop Hike (3.7 miles / 2.25 hours)

Old John Ward Trail (2 miles round trip / 1 hour)

Pigeon Hill Loop Hike  (1.3 mile / 1 hour)

The Old John Ward Trail, Cease Fire Trail, and Assault Trail can be combined together to form a 2.2-mile loop hike. This is an easy and very popular hike that covers the central section of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

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