Hiking 2008.02.23-Pine Mountain Recreation Area
Pine Mountain Recreation Area
Overview
- Trail Mileage: 2.34 miles for the loop according to the signs (my pedometer says 3.7 miles)
- Altitude: 1,562 ft above sea level at summit
- Parking: Gravel – room for 6 cars or so.
- I was looking for a 1-2 hour hike for a Saturday when rain wasn’t expected. We’ve had 2 straight days of rain here, so I knew the tails could be slippery. I elected to head to the eastern section of the loop. That is the longer way to the summit of Pine Mtn, but a more gradual climb. The summit path is not part of the loop. You have to walk up to the summit off the "loop" then back down to the loop. It was almost 1,000 steps on this part of the trail – further than I expected. If you just want to get to the summit ASAP, take the western route of the Eastern Loop Trail. Both start and end at the same parking area.
Directions
There are two parking lots, East and West trailheads. The West trail head is right off I-75 and has 4x the parking of the Eastern trailhead.
East Trailhead:
I-75 Exit 290, east on GA 20. Almost an immediate right at the first traffic light after the exit onto Spur 20. Continue approximately 3.2 miles – keep going mostly straight ahead and don’t worry about the "No Exit" / "Dead End" signs. Spur 20 isn’t marked once you are on it. The East Loop Trailhead access and parking area is on the right, just past the turn to Bartow Beach and Gatewood Park, which is on the left. Directions Updated from here
West Trailhead:
I-75 Exit 288, turn right, then right again at the dead end. The parking lot is on the left about 500 ft down and marked with a brown Pine Mountain Recreation Area sign.
Notable Sights
Well, there really isn’t anything until the summit. Summit overlooks parts of Allatoona Lake and Red Top Mtn and I-75. On a sunny day, the views really area nice.
See the 2008 gallery for photos.
