2022-06-19: Cooper’s Furnace & Pine Mountain Summit

Please join us for some exercise with a scenic and historical hike as we trek the trails at the Pine Mountain Recreational Area.

This hike is a solid D4 hike; a total distance of approximately 9 miles with a total of 1750 ft elevation gain.  There are two separate approximate one-mile climbs with elevation gains ranging from 600 feet to 650 feet.  We will average a 2.5 mph pace increasing to 3+ mph on flat sections. If the group gets separated on the climbs, we will regroup at each peak.  In addition, we will regroup at all intersections if needed. We will stop for brunch, water breaks, scenic and historical sites and any other amazing thing that nature has to offer.

This hike contains two loops; the West Loop and the East Loop divided by Pine Mountain Summit. Instead of doing each loop separately we will traverse half of each loop on the way to our farthest destination; the Lake Allatoona Dam and then complete the second half of each loop on our way back. Therefore, we will create a mega loop hiking in the clockwise direction.  Please click on the hyperlink below at the bottom of the page for a map of our journey.

The trek starts at West Loop trail head. With fresh legs we will hike 1.0 mile clockwise on the West Loop Trail (WLT). We will maintain our clockwise direction until we veer off onto the Summit Overlook Path (SOP) for another 0.2 miles to hit our first destination of interest; the Pine Mountain Summit at 1513 Ft elevation.  We will be rewarded with a beautiful view and time to enjoy our accomplishment with time for our photos and hydration.

Next up on the itinerary is the second destination and brunch. We head back down SOP, and merge onto the East Loop Trail (ELT) maintaining our clockwise direction.  We will hike on the ELT for approximately 2.3 miles before merging onto the Cooper’s Furnace Trail (CFT) bearing right. We will hike another 1.5 miles passing Coopers Furnace in order to enjoy our break and brunch as well as a breathtaking view at the Lake Allatoona Dam.  After brunch, as we backtrack approximately 0.5 miles, we will stop at Cooper’s Furnace to enjoy some history and a clean restroom with real plumbing!  After Cooper’s Furnace we will proceed on the CFT until we intersect the ELT again, maintaining our clockwise mega loop.  This starts our last major climb; a 650 ft elevation climb in a little over a mile. The culmination of our climb will be another view of the Pine Mountain Summit. We then will start our 1.2-mile descent back on the WLT until we hit the parking lot.

Previous D4 or higher AOC experience is required.  If your hiking experience is not from the AOC, please indicate it in the note section upon registering.  Failure to do so will result in being moved to the waiting list until suitability is provided.  A good in-town gauge for an AOC D4 hike is completing the round-trip hike from Kennesaw Mountain Visitor Center to Burnt Hickory Road in 2 - 2.5 hours. 

Trail Information:

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/pine-mountain-east-and-west-loop-trail-1a996ec--2