There is a fee to use any of the parking lots within Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. You can purchase a daily pass for $5 or an annual pass for $40. The annual pass is for Kennesaw Mountain only and not to be confused with the annual National Park pass. Purchase your passes at the Visitor Center or online at Recreation.gov. Unless you plan to first stop at the Visitor Center, purchasing your pass online is the best option.
There are parking lots at the following locations:
Visitor Center
There are two lots at the Visitor Center. One is located at the Visitor Center (82 spaces) and the other is an overflow lot (262 spaces)located around the corner about a quarter mile away (on Old Hwy 41 just west of Stilesboro Road). The main lot fills up year-round, as this is the most visited battlefield in the National Park system. On the summer weekends the lot at the Visitor Center will be full by 9 AM, if not sooner. If you don’t mind the walk, park at the overflow lot where there are plenty of spots. Otherwise, if you keep circling the main lot, sooner or later somebody will leave. I visited on three occasions (Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday) and had to circle each time. It’s a matter of luck to pull up just as somebody is leaving, but the longest I had to circle was 10 minutes.
Top of Kennesaw Mountain
The road to the top of Kennesaw Mountain is open to private vehicles on the weekdays only. There is a parking lot at the top (26 spaces) and a small pull-off parking area (4 spaces) on the way up. On weekends, visitors not wanting to hike to the top of the mountain must take a park shuttle, which runs every 30 minutes and is included in the park fee.
Gilbert Road
There is parking for about three cars near the 24-Gun Battery on Gilbert Road.
Pigeon Hill
The Pigeon Hill lot (68 spaces) has open spots at most any time, even on weekends. It is located near the corner of Old Mountain Road and Burnt Hickory Road.
Cheatham Hill
If your goal is to visit Cheatham Hill, this is the closet place to park. I was there on a Sunday morning and there were plenty of spots (40 overall).
Sherman / Thomas Headquarters
Though the Cheatham Hill / Kolb Farm Loop Trail can be accessed at various places, parking for the official start of the trail is the Sherman / Thomas Headquarters lot (68 spaces). There is a picnic area next to the lot as well.
Kolb Farm
This Kolb Farm parking lot only holds about six cars. It was empty on a Sunday afternoon in the summer, so it doesn’t look to be a popular parking area. Since it is not located near the trails, it is only used by those visiting the Kolb Farm site.
Horse Trailer Parking
There is a small, dirt parking area for those with horse trailers located off Cheatham Hill Road just north of the Kolb Farm parking lot. The lot can hold four vehicles with trailers.
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Last updated on February 16, 2020