When we need a short, leisurely hike near to Atlanta, we head to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and walk parts of the battlefield trails. For this fall hike, we settled on the Camp Brumby Loop trail.
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About Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 2,965 acre park that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. The sprawling park’s numerous trails range from easy battlefield strolls to strenuous mountain hikes. Every trail contains historic markers and information plaques to give you the history of the Atlanta Campaign.
Camp Brumby Loop Trail
The Camp Brumby Trail departs behind the Visitor Center, near the information kiosk and the start of the Mountain Loop Trail, following signs for Camp Brumby Trail. The trail follows along Kennesaw Mountain Drive before veering off toward the open field on the left.
It goes for the length of the field, and then ducks into the cover of the forest for the remainder of the trail. The trail soon widens, becoming perfect for joggers, dogs, and hikers to share. This is a pretty easy trail as the terrain remains mostly even for the length of the hike.
Camp T. M. Brumby Ruins
The loop begins less than a mile into the hike, veering off to the right. The loop circles the ruins of Camp T. M. Brumby, a Civilian Conservation Corp Camp that existed here between 1938 and 1942.
The camp was tasked with building the existing trail system in the park, working as park guides, and fighting forest fires. Posted signs along the trail mark the spots where various camp buildings once were.
Kennesaw Avenue
The short loop ends and the Camp Brumby Trail continues to the right for about 3 miles in one direction. We went to the left, doubling back over the trail we already completed.
After about a quarter of a mile, we kept to the right to follow along a paved path against Kennesaw Avenue for a change of scenery, turning left at the road and following the road to the north. This was perfect for catching the changing colors of the fall leaves.
When we reached the open field, we took a well-worn shortcut up the edge of the field to the trail, taking the trail back to the Visitor Center. We then took another shortcut to walk through the field in front of the Visitor Center back to the parking lot because sometimes you just need to switch it up a bit.
We completed our hike in the parking lot at 2.14 miles: a quick and easy hike for after work or for a weekend afternoon!
Hiking Essentials
Come prepared for your hike by making sure you pack the essentials. Check out this must-have hiking gear before you set off on the trails:
Nearby Hiking Trails
Looking for more hiking trails in Atlanta? Check out more of these amazing Georgia hikes:
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Cheers!
Paige
Have you hiked the Camp Brumby Loop Trail at Kennesaw Mountain? Let me know in the comments!
