Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Things to Do

there were three major battles at kennesaw mountain, one near the visitor center at the base of kennesaw mountain, one at kolb's farm, and one at cheatham hill. to really get a feel of the battle you should visit all three spots at the park. pictured are cannons on cheatham hill. the battle of cheatham hill was a decisive confederate victory during the battle of kennesaw mountain. the confederate defenders of cheatham hill constructed a "dead angle" line of cannon to thwart a union attack. union troops made a desparate effort to storm the confederate line but the rough terrain and intense confederate cannon fire forced them to withdrawl. in all 3,000 union solders and 1,000 confederate solders were killed in the battle of cheatham hill.

pictured is a view of downtown atlanta from the summit of kennesaw mountain. this was the site of the battle of kennesaw mountain in 1864. today this national military park is a popular hiking and bicycling spot for residents and visitors to the atlanta area.

pictured is the visitor center at kennesaw mountain national battlefield park. i highly recommend this as your first stop when visiting the park. there are several roads that run through the park and they are not well signed. you can get a map at the visitor center that will make your visit easier and more enjoyable. also at the visitor center there are exhibits about the battle which help the visitor understand how the battle played out.

kolb's farm was established by peter valentine kolb in 1836. kolb's farm house was one of the largest farm houses in the area at the time. on june 20 th 1864 kolb's farm was a battle site in the battle of kennesaw mountain.

The Park allows dogs on most if not all the trails. The trails are heavily forested and I suspect ticks and other critters are about. We had our dog get a lyme disease shot before we did this trip and made sure he had his flea/tick meds current.

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Since Kennesaw does not have alot of monuments, if you like to see one and also see a unique view of how battles in 1864 were fought.... Go to this location. At this monument it shows very clearly how close battle lines were drawn and the extremes armies went through. The pictures tell the story better. The line at the bottom of the one sign(7 hour truce) shows that even in time of war honor and humanity were still evident. This is in stark contrast to how wars are fought today.

The Tunnel in the pictures was dug by the Union in order to plant a mine under the Confederate lines. Shortly after it was begun the Confederates withdrew from the field for tactical reasons.

Kennesaw mountain is a popular hiking destination. Surprisingly, many people choose to jog along these trails as well, despite the fact that there are plenty of other public parks within the city that would make for more scenic workout locations than a civil war battlefield.

But there are several options to either view the area in more depth, or get some exercise. From the visitor's center, there is a 1mile steep trail that leads to the top of the mountain. It is pretty steep going for most of the trail, but there are some good views from the top and some impressive civil war memorabilia and monuments.

There is a long trail from the Pigeon Hill battlefield that leads to Cheatham Hill and Kolb's Farm. Its five miles one way with a good bit of uphill. Most of the first couple miles of this trail passes through wooded areas with a few spots that open up to the views of wide grassy knolls. These trails are pretty popular and you'll likely encounter other visitors, visitors with dogs and some joggers.

There are a total of 17 miles of trail in the park. If hiking and/or the Georgia humid climate are not your thing, the road leads to Cheatham Hill and Kolb's farm.

Kennesaw mountain was the Confederate stronghold during this battle as the troops were determined to prevent Sherman and the Union army from taking the mountain. At the top ofthe mountain there are several canons which the Confederates used to fire on Sherman's attempted advances. There are also several plaques that provide more information about this battle and a plaque in memoriam to the Georgia Confederate soldiers who died trying to hold the mountain.