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Coopers Furnace and Pine Mountain Summit (Secret Trail Down)




The Basics:
Event Type:Hike
Event Location: Pine Mountain (near Cartersville)   Hike: Coopers Furnace and Pine Mountain Summit (Secret Trail Down)  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Fri, Mar 16 2018  10:00 am >> Fri, Mar 16 2018 1:00 pm
Registration Opens: Fri, Mar 9 2018 3:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Fri, Mar 16 2018 8:00 am
Event Duration:3 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D3: Moderate
Distance:7 Miles
Pace:Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
Holt Ward
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:14
Minimum Group Size:2
Number Registered So Far: 16 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:

Let’s hike Pine Mountain near Cartersville along with a trip down to the historic Cooper's Iron Furnace.  We will park at the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) visitors center at Lake Allatoona and begin our hike there.  

We will start heading towards Pine Mountain using the Laurel Ridge trail and the Pine Mountain connector to reach the base of Pine Mountain.  As we head up to the top of the mountain using the East Loop, we will gain approximately 800 feet of altitude, reaching the David Archer overlook with an excellent view of Lake Allatoona.  

After a short break to take in the view, we will begin heading down the mountain using a little known or used trail that tracks back along a ridge line all the way to the Etowah River.  Be aware, this trail is very steep in part of the decent and hiking poles would be very useful to assist with the hike down.

From there, we will head back towards the Cooper Furnace ruins which were partially destroyed by Sherman in 1864 on his way towards Atlanta.  Finally we will head back to the Army Corps of Engineers visitors center and our cars using the Cooper Furnace and Laurel Ridge trails.  

Our hike will transit about 7 miles with a total gain of about 1300 feet, taking us about 3 hours to complete.  I would definitely not recommend this hike for beginners due to the overall elevation gain and length of the hike.

There are bathrooms in the ACE visitor center along with a very interesting museum giving a history of the building of the Allatoona dam and lake and of the former town of Etowah which now sits under about 100 feet of water behind the dam.


Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

How to Get There:
Event Directions:
  • Take I-75 north towards Cartersville
  • After passing the Cartersville exits, take exit 290 
  • At bottom of ramp, turn right onto Route 20
  • IMMEDIATELY after turning onto Route 20, take right onto Route 20 Spur.  This turn is literally 400 feet after turning onto Route 20
  • Proceed approximately 4 miles on 20 Spur to the end.  
  • At the end, you will see a barricade in front of you. Turn up drive to the right that goes up the the Army Corps of Engineers project office at Lake Allatoona.  Park anywhere.

Notes:
* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.


Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.