Pine Mountain -- East and West sides, Forge and Peak

Come to Pine Mountain, next to Lake Allatoona, for some steady ups and downs. Let's get a solid hike in at a consistent pace, with appreciating views and Nature along the way.  We will hike both sides, plus the out and back to Cooper's Furnace. We will go for a steady 3 hours with short breaks, depending on the heat, and hope to break 7 miles.  At each intersection we will reconnect, and have some great conversations along the way. 

This will be a steady effort with about 1500 feet of climbing and descent, so this is not a good hike for beginners.  If you are a confident D3 hiker, please join us. 

We'll go up, then down, the south sides of the West and East Loops, with a short side trip to the peak and a nice view. At the bottom of the East Loop, we'll hit the flat-ish woodland trail to the furnace and back.  We will likely return up the South side of the East Loop, and down the N side of the West Loop to get about 6.9 miles, which should be plenty for a hot day. 

Be sure to bring 2 Liters of water, and wet down your sleeves or shirt for evaporative cooling.

This is a Bartow County park and parking is free.     

** Extra Karma points for picking up at least 1 piece of litter or sharing a Nature observation with another hiker--mushrooms, snakes, geology, or history.

• Take I-75 north towards Cartersville
• Take exit 288, Main Street Cartersville
• At top of ramp, turn right onto Main Street
• Proceed approximately 100 yards to end of road and turn right onto Komatsu Drive
• In approximately 100 yards, the parking lot and trailhead for the West Loop is located on your left.
• Make sure you park in the parking lot itself as parking along the road and driveway to the parking lot is prohibited.