Pine Mountain Trail, West — Attraction in Cartersville

Great hike with a moderate incline. 2 miles round trip if you do the circuit and the Outlook. Amazing views from the top. Shaded most of the way when you have leaf coverage. 4 instead of 5 stars because trails are marked, but a little confusing. It would be better if they had maps that show your location in relation to the whole Trail at each intersection. As long as you study the map before you leave and have a planned route, you will be absolutely fine. I have visited this Trail about once a year for the past 6 years. It is a challenging hike with incline almost all the way to the top. I have always done the West Loop. If you take the left option it is a gradual consistent incline. If you take the right option it's has more steep incline combined with some flat areas. We usually do it as a circuit. Most recently hiked in May 2018. It was partly shaded the entire way, which was great because it was 90 degrees. The ground surface is Rocky. It is highly recommended to have hiking shoes, if not tennis shoes. This is not a hike that would be comfortable with unsuitable shoes due to the incline and rocky nature of the trail. There is ample parking (and it's free!) I would guess about 60+ spaces. There is a fitness station at the parking lot, as well as an outhouse and some garbage cans. It would be nice if there was a picnic table and drinking fountain as well, but alas, there is not. The view from the top is totally worth it. It always motivates me to stick with it and finish the hike even though it's challenging. I once took my 16 year old cousin here. She had never been hiking before, and she was nervous about it. At the end she said that it was a bit challenging, but she was really happy that she did it. She also said that it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. If you live in the area or a passing by, it's extremely convenient to I-75 and an amazing hike in the Atlanta area. Come...

This is a nice trail with different kinds of terrain to experience. I wouldn't recommend tennis shoes for this route. Some good actual hiking shoes or hiking boots should suit you well here for traction. Its not like Red Top Mtn where most of the trail is smooth. There are some moderate inclines and some narrow areas of the trail. From the Main St parking lot, you can either choose the Boot Trail or the Hiking Stick Trail which is actually steeper in some parts, but smooths out towards the summit.

There is alot of room on the summit for multiple parties, and if you're feeling extra adventurous, you can choose to descend the mountain on the narrow bike trails.

Foot traffic was light (Sunday Afternoon) and there will be many times where you won't pass anyone for a good 10 minutes or so. The top of the summit gives a nice view of Kennesaw Mtn, and the Powerplant in Cartersville.

Overall a good hike whether solo or with a group. Bring at least a liter of water if you aren't used to hiking. I would recommend a single strap shoulder bag, or a small 25L hiking bag with minimal supplies such as water, snacks, and first aid. Tripping is highly possible here due to the terrain.

I wouldn't recommend this hike for completely new beginners...

We did the entire figure eight of bother the east and west loops, along with going up to the overlook. It is a beautiful experience! Vigorous trails though, full of switch backs. The West loop trail has 2 paths, the green and the red. The red trail is easier, we ascended the red trail and descended the green. The green trail is more of a turquoise color. All trails are spray paint blazed. The east loop has a white trail, and blue trail, I think. Either way, the white trail is shorter but harder, and the other trail is longer bust doesn't ascend so harshly. It took us about 4 hours, we also sat and had lunch, and even went up to the coopers furnace picnic shelter for the bathroom. Which reminds me, there is no bathroom at the east trail parking, and only 1 port-a-potty at the west trail. Unfortunately that was covered in someone's feces on the seat, so the ladies took the TP to the woods while we kept watch. Though the picnic shelter isn't far from the east loop parking, just about a mile up the road. BRING LOTS OF WATER!!! There is some cell service, depending on your...