pine mountain recreation area

We hike Pine Mountain on one side or the other several times a week in good weather. The trail is well marked, but be sure you remember which trail head you started out from; it's a long way back if you head back to the wrong one! Nice view of the area from the top.

Apparently the land that makes up this park was donated to Cartersville in 2002 which encompasses Pine Mountain, the highest peak in Cartersville. There are two loops (East & West) on either side of the mountain bridged by a short trail. Off the short connecting trail is a spur which leads to the mountain peak which overlooks Lake Allatoona at around 1,600 feet elevation.The two loops together make up a hike around 5 miles that climbs 675 feet in elevation ... two times if one does both loops. We hit the trail 9am on a Sunday morning and pretty much had the mountain to ourselves. As we were descending back to the parking lot at lunch time, the crowds started to pickup; the parking lot was full when we made it back down.The larger east loop allows mountain biking a few days a week.The trail is covered and surrounded by granite outcrops and granite debris giving the trail a lot of visual and scampering interest. My kids and I had a great time. Certainly its proximity to Atlanta and to the highway makes it an easy destination.