Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Georgia
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
7.2 h fully dark
Hikes
Strenuous
🔴
Crowds
moderate
Open today
Open
Entrance
$5
Kennesaw Mountain Road Closed to Private Vehicles and Cyclists
Starting January 5th, 2026, the road to the top of Kennesaw Mountain will be closed to private vehicles and cyclists due to construction and painting. Shuttle service to the top of the mountain is ONLY available on weekends and select federal holidays. The park's Visitor Center is still accessible. This work is in preparation for the upcoming Safety Improvement Project. For updates, continue to check park's website.
Official NPS alert →Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 2,965 acre National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. Opposing forces maneuvered and fought here from June 19, 1864 until July 2, 1864. Although most famous as a Civil War battlefield, Kennesaw Mountain has a much richer story.
Activities
Topics
Entrance fees
$5.00 — Entrance - Private Vehicle
$5.00 — Entrance - Per Person
$0.00 — Entrance - Education/Academic Groups
$100.00 — Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach
$40.00 — Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus
$25.00 — Commercial Entrance - Sedan
Hours & seasons
Kennesaw Mountain NBP is open from 6:30 AM - 8:30 PM during Daylight Saving Time (March - November) and 6:30 AM - 6:30 PM Standard Time (December - February) These hours apply to all trails and parking lots.* *Cheatham Hill Parking Lot opens at 8:00 am
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 770-427-4686
✉ kemo_administration@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Nov
Typical crowds: moderate
Weather now: ☁️ Overcast, 80°F
☁️ 85°/69°
🌦️ 86°/70°
🌦️ 92°/72°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
44%
Feb
64%
Mar
73%
Apr
88%
May
80%
Jun
80%
Jul
85%
Aug
97%
Sep
100%
Oct
52%
Nov
49%
Dec
55%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
Visit The Park Bookstore · Depending on what your needs are, browsing the bookstore can be a short, efficient affair, or a more in depth visit.
Genealogy Research · Depending on the availability of materials and how in depth you are wanting to go, this research could last a few minutes. If you already have some of the basic information (confirmation that they were here, military designation and/or unit information) then locating the general area takes a matter of minutes. If you are looking for more in depth information, first hand accounts, and don't know whether they faught here or not, the process could take longer. <br /> <br /> It also depends on how busy the front desk area is and if we have to attend to other customers.
View Park Film · The film run time is 35 minutes. The film is also on a timed loop. It begins at 15 minutes after the hour, every hour. The first showing is at 9:15 am, the last showing is at 10:15 am.
Tour the Museum · It usually takes the average visitor roughly 15 minutes to get a good overview of the museum content. For those who are more interested in reading or observing more, the duration could be an hour or more.
🔴 Hike to the Top of Big Kennesaw Mountain · 1.1 mi · For most people, the hike to the top usually takes around 45 minutes or so. If you are hiking at a slower pace, or are just taking in the sites, it can maybe take up to an hour. When planning, make sure to remember that it always takes longer going up than coming down.
Visitor centers
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Visitor Center
Accessibility
23 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park — each spans a cross-park journey.
Alfred Waud
— Civil War, Art History, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield ParkBenjamin Harrison
— MilitaryClaus ("Carl") Wriborg
— Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Kemo, Civil WarElizabeth (Lily) Walsh
— Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Kemo, Civil WarEmma Stephenson
— Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, American Civil War, African American HistoryLucinda Hardage
— Kemo, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Civil WarMinerva McClatchey
— Kemo, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Civil WarPatrick Cleburne
— Military, Battle Of Stones River, Stones River LeadersPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Visitor Center
Places to see
63rd Georgia Picket Line
audio
America's National Park Bookstore
audio
Cockrell's Orphan Brigade
audio
Dan McCook Marker
audio
Kolb Farmhouse
audio
Lumsden's Artillery Battery
audio
Mebane's Battery
audio
Pigeon Hill
audio
Pigeon Hill and the New Salem Community
audio
Summit of Big Kennesaw Mountain
audio
The 24-Gun Battery
audio
The Assault
audioAudio & media
🎧 Mrs. Josetta Walker Audio Clip ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Gus Tramonte Interview ↗ · 10 mintranscript
🎧 Ms. Clara Maddox Audio Clip ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎬
🖼
Learn more
The Cherokee Nation tried to hold on to their ancestral lands, but in the 1830s gold and a new U.S. president made this impossible. Cherokee leaders John Ross and Major Ridge fought for their tribe from different perspectives. The Indian Removal Act and the Treaty of New Echota allowed Federal troops to force thousands of Cherokee to take the Trail of Tears to new land in the West.
Discover the inspirational stories and amazing dedication of volunteers honored with the 2014 Hartzog Award.
In 2016, six rangers were awarded a national or regional Freeman Tilden Award for excellence in interpretation. Learn more about their amazing programs!
Civil War soldiers faced death on a daily basis. However, they also faced going home with various disabilities. One such disability was partial or complete deafness. Many soldiers were accustomed to temporary deafness from the constant artillery fire in the field. However, illness, the environment, and even the medicine the doctors used on patients could cause a much more permanent hearing loss.
Since the early 1800s, the Cherokee Nation tried to protect their lands by assimilating into the European-American culture as much as possible. However, when Andrew Jackson became president in 1828, that tactic rapidly changed. Gold was found so people desperately wanted Cherokee lands. Chief Womankiller speaks at a Cherokee Council meeting in favor of enacting a bill to prevent this rush on their land.
In the 1830s, the Cherokee were divided on the issue of adopting aspects of white, European-American culture or maintaining an indigenous culture and identity. Several incidents occurred after the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 that prompted several members of the Cherokee Nation to sign the Treaty of Echota. This treaty eventually led to the Trail of Tears. Cherokee Chief John Ross opposes the treaty in this letter to the U.S Senate and House of Representatives.
Meet Sylvia, a Mosaics in Science intern at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Read her park story to learn how visiting parks with her family led to her to researching woody debris in the Cuyahoga River.
Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park.
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
A Nation Divided: Elementary School Lesson Plan
Open →
A Nation Divided: High School Lesson Plan
Open →
A Nation Divided: Middle School Lesson Plan
Open →
African Americans During the Civil War: A Compressed History
Open →
Civilian War Experience: The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
Open →
The Cherokee People and the Trail of Tears: High School Lesson Plan
Open →
The Cherokee People and the Trail of Tears: Middle School Lesson
Open →
The Cherokee People: Elementary Lesson Plan
Open →
War Has Been Declared: Elementary Lesson Plan
Open →
War Has Been Declared: Middle School Lesson Plan
Open →
What Would You Do? Plotting and Planning Strategies of the Civil War
Open →
How Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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