Photos by Cheryl Landes

Kennesaw Mountain is an 1,808-foot mountain ridge between Kennesaw and Marietta, Georgia. Eighteen miles trails cross forests of oak, hickory, and pine, some of which end at sweeping views of the surrounding area. On clear days, Atlanta’s skyline is visible 24 miles away.

Kennesaw Mountain was home to Cherokee people until the U.S. government forced them to move to Oklahoma Territory on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s, after gold was discovered in Georgia. Today, the mountain is inside the 2,965-acre Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, where 169,000 Conferderate and Union troops fought a fierce battle for two weeks in 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War. More than 5,300 troops lost their lives.

Hiking, running, and cycling are popular on the park’s trails. Some are interpretive trails, which have signs highlighting the historic events and features in the park.

The trail to the top of the mountain is 1.2 miles with an incline of approximately 700 feet. The journey through the beautiful forest and the views at the end are worth the effort.

There’s also a 1.4-mile paved road to the top of the mountain. Late one afternoon while in Kennesaw to work for a client, I drove to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset. Today’s armchair photo has pictures of the bright colors I enjoyed. I was also lucky enough to see a hazy view of Atlanta in the distance.

Learn more about the mountain and the park at nps.gov/kemo.