What You’ll See From Panoramic Pine Mountain

(Updated March 2022. Originally published October 2020)

As the most visited national recreation area in the country, many Cobb County and Atlanta area residents are familiar with the climb and view at Kennesaw Mountain. For those wanting a change in scenery, northerly neighbor Pine Mountain offers a panoramic view coupled with excellent hiking.

Rising to 1,562 feet at its summit, Cartersville’s Pine Mountain offers a 180+ degree view looking South toward Atlanta from the David Archer Lookout. But what exactly do you see when making the two mile and 650-plus foot vertical ascent to one of the taller mountains nearest to Atlanta?

After hiking at Pine Mountain on several occasions, our curiosity was piqued. So we went back up again on an overcast day when the ozone and humidity were relatively low. Our goal: spot, photograph and identify the key landmarks visible to the naked eye.

For the unfamiliar, this Pine Mountain is adjacent to the Army Corps of Engineers-managed area that includes Allatoona Dam, Lake Allatoona, 13,000 acres formerly owned by antebellum iron magnate Mark Anthony Cooper, and the 270 miles of shoreline created by the jagged waterline of the flood control lake.  We clarify here because Georgia is home to several Pine Mountains, including the most well-known near Warm Springs, GA, home to FDR State Park, the Little White House and Calloway Gardens.

The trails at Cartersville’s Pine Mountain are well-traveled and well-marked dirt paths. Each features approximately 700 feet of upward elevation change, though once you descend and climb over the hilly route, an activity tracker will record more. Along the way, hikers enjoy mountainside streams; forests with towering trees, ferns, native wildflowers and other flora; and small animals including chipmunks, squirrels, foxes, racoons, the occasional deer, a sampling of Georgia snakes and lots of insects.

West Trail, for Convenience

The easiest, most convenient access to Pine Mountain trails is the West Trailhead, located on Komatsu Drive and just off I-75. But with convenience comes crowding. The large parking lot can be at or near capacity on busy weekends.

Hiking the West Trail to the summit and using the loop route covers approximately 2.4 miles. From the lot, the trail heads down toward Hurricane Hollow and a bridge over the creek at the lowest point on the hike. Now, the 678-foot climb to the summit begins. For the shortest (and steepest!) route up, take a right turn at the West Loop trail intersection, navigating a series of switchbacks and following the markers for the one-mile journey.

Along the way under the canopy, you’ll pass patches of forest floor ferns in the wetter areas, large granite rock fields and outcroppings, and (on crowded days) potentially lots of other trail users. On the descent, follow the opposite branch of the West Loop trail for a slightly longer, but less-steep walk.

East Trail, for Solitude, Somedays

We prefer the less-trafficked East Trail, though beware that mountain bikes are allowed here on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The trail begins at a small parking lot off Georgia Spur 20, a wooded backroad that follows the shore of Lake Allatoona to its terminus at the Corps of Engineers offices and the Allatoona Dam overlook.

This loop hike begins with a quick 40-foot climb. Reaching an emergency call box, we prefer taking the left branch and heading up the steepest and shortest route (approximately 1.3 miles) to the summit. The longer return route (approximately 1.8 miles) slopes more gently, includes several switch backs, and takes a deep-dive down to follow a small stream before a short climb back to the starting point. Generally, the terrain, flora and geologic features are similar here to the West Trail.

Cooper’s Furnace Connector

For those looking for longer routes, the Pine Mountain trail system can be reached from Cooper’s Furnace. Just follow the (NAME) trail toward the summit, looking for a well-marked connector trail to the East Loop trail. Taking this route adds approximately 2.6 miles to the East Trail.

Side note: we’ve done a separate blog on our hikes at Cooper’s Furnace.

The View at David Archer Overlook

Since all Pine Mountain trails feature loop routes, the most common midpoint includes an extended stop at the 1,562-foot David Archer overlook. Archer Overlook features a nearly 180-degree view. facing roughly South Southeast. You can see Atlanta on a clear day, though on our visits, weather, humidity, and haze has often made spotting the city building impossible.

We were curious about what we saw at the peak, so we did a little research. The labelled picture below and the descriptions that follow should help you. (Hint: for best results, enlarge your browser settings to 150% or 200% to see the picture labels with the text below. Or, to see the picture and labels best, right click on the photo and select: Open in new tab, then enlarge that to 150%. We’re working on a rotating panorama, but so far, it’s beyond our capabilities.)

Standing on any rock near the brass US Coast and Geodetic Survey marker at the peak, your view will include, from left to right:

• Sweat Mountain, distant beyond the lakes and just over 18 miles away. Sweat Mountain rises to approximately 1,600 feet and is located between Woodstock and Alpharetta.
• Red Top Mountain, in the nearby state park that bears its name, the 961-foot peak is visible behind the white boat shed roofs of Park Marina on Lake Allatoona. The question here: does Red Top really qualify as a mountain?
• Buckhead and Uptown Atlanta. When humidity, ozone or air pollution don’t hide them, some of Atlanta’s tallest buildings appear next in the counter-clockwise rotation. Buildings in Buckhead are farther left, with the Bank of America Building appearing approximately 37 miles in the distance just before Kennesaw Mountain rises to block the view of downtown.

• Vineyard Mountain, just under 1.5 miles away, Vineyard Mountain forms the southern anchor wall of the Allatoona Dam. You’ll may spot a communication tower rising from near the 1,348-foot peak of Vineyard Mountain, which also is home to several strenuous hiking trails.
• Kennesaw Mountain, approximately 17 miles in the distance, and to the right of Vineyard Mountain. Hikers and history buffs will recognize the higher peak of Kennesaw Mountain at 1,801 feet, and the lower, 1,624-ft peak of Little Kennesaw, both of which housed dominating cannon placements during the Civil War battle.
• Signal Mountain tops out at 1,178 feet, the slightly-tallest and center of three closely-grouped, nearby peaks.
• Cartersville Mining District, including the currently-operating New Riverside Ochre Company.  Including the nearby area defined by the US Bureau of Land Management, the Cartersville Mining District lists 347 registered mines, including 130 producing locations and several registered as prospecting for gold and titanium.
• Etowah Historical Site. Featuring mounds built by Etowah tribes between 1000 A.D. to 1550 A.D., this state historical site is located four miles away on the Etowah River.
• Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen. A large complex 10.5 miles away, Plant Bowen is sometimes confused for a nuclear plant because cooling towers shapes. The four-unit Bowen Steam Plant is one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the US. Often, white condensation clouds rise upwards from the towers.
• City of Cartersville. Just before the tree line resumes, the City of Cartersville spreads out below. Look closely and you may spot the golden dome of the historic Bartow County Courthouse reflecting sunbeams.

Who Was David Archer?

Our curiosity was piqued by the name of the overlook at Pine Mountain.  If yours is, too, here’s a short bit of the backstory.

Our Garmin Activity Stats

As usual, we tracked our activity with our trusty Garmin Vivoactive HR watch, which includes GPS, altitude, pace, and heart rate information. We’ve posted it below for the West and East Trails. Remember when looking at exertion data that the device was attached to a 63-year-old man.

We’ve added labels (in orange) to our maps. Plus, the colors on the trails indicate our relative traveling speeds:

• Blue/Green: Stop and slowest
• Yellow, Orange, Burnt Orange, Red: Accelerating to fastest

West Trail, July 2020, at 81F

Hiking with our daughter and two grandsons, aged seven and five, and a small, curious dog on a leash, we meandered up the left fork to the summit in 41 minutes, taking the left fork of the loop trail first.

East Trail, October 2020, 61F

My wife, Glenda, and I hiked this alone, taking the left and shortest route up first.

Don’t Miss Nearby

1. Cooper’s Furnace Day Use Area. Great river views, family-friendly hiking trails, a playground plus ruins of an old manufacturing site. A parking pass is required, but free with a National Park pass.
2. Allatoona Dam. Enter Cooper’s Furnace Day Use Area and follow the access road to the end. Park, and walk along the paved path for great views of the dam.
3. Red Top Mountain State Park. Across Lake Allatoona from Pine Mountain, the Red Top Mountain State Park offers lakefront hiking, boat rentals at the marina, and lots of picnic areas.
4. Etowah State Historical Site. One of Georgia’s state historical site, it features a small museum full of artifacts plus walking access to the three tallest mounds.
5. Cartersville Lunch Spots. We’re always hungry after our morning hikes. Some of our favorite post-hike stops in Cartersville include Ross Diner, a tiny joint at 17 N. Wall St. with no website, Moore’s Gourmet Market, and Appalachian Grill, the most upscale of the bunch.

Other Fun Family Fare

We have lots of other local, Georgia and regional adventures on the menu, too. Just head to our home page at OurTravelCafe.com and browse the nearly 60 options for family fun.