Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr, Kennesaw, GA 30188, USA

Address:	900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr, Kennesaw, GA 30188, USA
Phone:	+1 770-427-4686
Site:	nps.gov
Rating:	4.7

Location

Photos 20

Reviews 6

Steve Markos

I am a travel writer for National Park Planner and I visited the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in August, 2013. The 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 those interested in the Civil War. The huge majority of visitors are interested in exercise and use the park’s 20 miles of hiking trails for this purpose. The park consists of a Visitor Center and Museum, Civil War historic sites, hiking trails, and picnic areas. On select weekends, Military Living History demonstrations are held where the park invites various Civil War Reenactors to demonstrate everything from soldier life during the war to historic weapons firing demonstrations. A thorough exploration of the park will take 2 days, which would include hiking a good portion of the trails. However, a person could visit the Visitor Center and Museum and drive to the main Civil War points of interest in a day. Vehicles can take you to or near all the major sites, though some areas will require short walks from the parking area. Keep in mind that there are some historic sites can only be visited by hiking to them. While Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is comprised of roughly 3000 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 artifacts and recognizable terrain are located in two main areas, with minor sites scattered around the park. In the northern section of the park, historical sites and exhibits can be found from the top of Kennesaw Mountain to Pigeon Hill. At the southern end of the park, most historic remains are located at Cheatham Hill. There is a central section that contains hiking trails that connect the north and south ends of the park, but there are no significant Civil War historic sites in this area. For most people, after exploring the Kennesaw Mountain area, a drive to the Cheatham Hill area is required. Only the fastest hikers could trek from the north to the south ends and back to their car in a day, as such a hike would cover 16-20 miles. Thus, for those wishing to see the battlefield park on foot, plan one day to cover the Kennesaw Mountain area and one day to cover the Cheatham Hill area. For complete information and plenty of photos about the park, please visit National Park Planner (npplan)

Alek D

I hated this sooooooo much. Honestly, who would want to hike 5 miles? It was painful. There were no cool sights to see. They say this is a civil war battlefield, but all we saw was a few cannons here and there so there was nothing special. Here are a few other reasons. - Many parts of the trail are dangerous; there are gigantic rocks which make it very easy to fall. I bet that tons of innocent little kids have fell and got seriously injured. - Its also dangerous in a different way. Me and my friend saw a gigantic black snake slithering around right next to the trail! We were extremely startled and felt very unsafe the rest of the hike. - Like I said earlier, they have nothing about the civil war. There are a couple of little cannons, but that was pretty much it. It may have been a civil war battlefield, but it looks like any ordinary trail. No one wouldve guessed it unless they looked it up. - Trail signs were very inaccurate and confusing. We ended up walking 2 extra miles because of the terrible signs. Overall, dont waste your time and energy here. Its a terrible place, and I hope I forget my horrible experience here. For all the Kennesaw Mountain staff, you have a lot of work to do. - Alek Dyer and Bobby Skrinjar

K Aug

This is a nice little battlefield. Most of this is in the mountain, so not what you would normally consider a field but its nice on a hot summer day as the many trees give you shade. You have to hike to the top of the mountain to see the the cannons. The hike is approximately 1.5 miles but you can continue it for several more miles and see some more battle spots. We were limited for time so we only went to the top. The views from up there were amazing. You could even see Atlanta off in the distance. My niece was not with me so I cant comment on the junior ranger activity book. The gift shop was average size and there was a video to watch that I believe was around 30 minutes long. The volunteer was very pleasant but we didnt talk long.

Philip Siong

Kennesaw Mountain Park is my best choice for walking exercise. After a couple of times on the trails you might want to use the paved road. Cars are allowed to drive up to the lookout on week days only. The car park at the visitors center is always full. Make a circle or two; cars are always coming and leaving. The paved road is a steady 1.4 miles uphill, which takes me 30 minutes of brisk walking. Great for cardiovascular benefits. I prefer to park at the base and walk up, making the return (downhill) journey much easier. With a total of 2.8 miles a day, three times a week, I feel super. Please be sure to enjoy the great views and the cooler temperature at 1,800 ft before heading down.

Bob Pendley

When I was a little boy, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield was out in the country and it was an all day event to drive to the mountain and walk around to explore the area. Today the urban life bumps right up to the edge of the historic park. Many people walk up the mountain as a way to exercise and work up a sweat. While traveling up the side of the mountain please notice the trenches that hid Confederate soldiers from the advancing Union troops. One hundred and fifty years ago thousands lost their lives on the mountain and areas around during the battles. Today while people exercise, my hope is they take a little of the history home with them.

Lyndsey Burr

Ive been hiking here for years and its never a disappointment. Always people walking, biking or hiking thru out the year. Family friendly, ac bathrooms, and pretty views. There are no water fountains at the top of the mountain so bring your own water for you and your pets. You can ether walk up the paved winding road or hike thru the walking trails in the woods. During the week people are allowed to drive up the road but have to stay to one side making it safer but people speed so watch out. There are actually two mountains you can hike "little" Kennesaw mountain (as pictured) and "Big" Kennesaw mountain if your looking to boost your endurance!