Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a Civil War battlefield in Cobb County, about a 32-minute drive from Atlanta. Entry is $5 a day (or $40 a year) per person or per vehicle. That one pass covers all 10 parking lots, the 2.2-mile round-trip trail to the summit and the free shuttle bus.
One big change to know before you go: as of January 2026, you can no longer drive your own car to the top. Hike, bike or take the free shuttle instead.
Kennesaw Mountain at a glance
| Kennesaw Mountain NBP | |
|---|---|
| Entrance fee | $5/day per vehicle or per person on foot/bike; $40 annual pass; America the Beautiful Pass accepted (free–$250 depending on eligibility) |
| Parking | No separate fee — your entrance pass is your proof of parking payment, required at all 10 lots. Cashless (card only) |
| Hours | Park grounds 6:30am–6:30pm (Nov–Mar) / 6:30am–8:30pm (Mar–Nov); Visitor Center 9am–5pm daily, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day |
| Summit trail | Kennesaw Mountain Trail: 2.2 miles out and back from the Visitor Center, about 1 hour, rated family-friendly/moderate |
| Dogs | Leashed, 6 ft maximum, under control at all times; not allowed in the Visitor Center, restrooms, on the shuttle bus, or at water fountains |
| Drive from Atlanta | 23.7 mi, about 32 min via I-75 N in live-traffic conditions |
| Last verified |
Where the park doesn’t publish a figure, or we couldn’t confirm one, we say so rather than estimate it.
How much does it cost to visit Kennesaw Mountain?
Entry is $5 per person — that covers everyone in a private vehicle if you drive in, or $5 per person if you arrive on foot, bike or motorcycle (children under 16 don’t need a pass). An annual pass is $40.
Educational/academic groups pay $0; commercial vehicles have their own tiered pricing (a 26+ seat motor coach is $100). The park is cashless — you need a debit or credit card at the Visitor Center, online, or at one of five automated fee machines in the major lots. (NPS Fees & Passes, updated 9 January 2025.)
There is no separate parking charge. Your KEMO Daily Pass, KEMO Annual Pass or America the Beautiful Pass doubles as your parking receipt, and it’s required at all 10 of the park’s parking lots — physical passes go on the dashboard or rearview mirror; digital passes are tied to your license plate. An annual pass does not guarantee you a parking spot. (NPS Fees & Passes.)
Is the mountain road open to cars?
The park’s dedicated alert, posted 5 January 2026, and its Operating Hours page (last updated 9 September 2026) both say Kennesaw Mountain Dr., the paved road to the summit, is now closed to private vehicles. The Operating Hours page states it plainly: “CLOSED to personal vehicles as of January 2026.”
Cycling is permitted in a designated lane during set hours (summer 7:30–9:30am & 4:30–8:30pm; winter 7:30–9:30am & 4:30–6:30pm), and a free shuttle bus runs instead. But the park’s own Basic Information page, also last updated 9 September 2026, still describes a weekday exception: “The mountain road is open Monday through Friday excluding major holidays and weather permitting.
It is closed on weekends and holidays.” We could not reconcile these two same-day-updated NPS pages. Until the park clarifies, assume the road is closed to personal cars and plan to hike, bike, or take the free shuttle — don’t drive up expecting the gate to be open.
Sources: NPS Alerts & Conditions (posted 5 January 2026); NPS Operating Hours & Seasons (updated 9 September 2026); NPS Basic Information (updated 9 September 2026, but not fully consistent with the two pages above).
The free shuttle to the summit
A free shuttle bus runs seven days a week (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day), departing roughly every 30 minutes: up the mountain 10:00am–12:00pm and 1:00–4:00pm, down 10:15am–12:15pm and 1:30–4:15pm. The ride itself is free, but your park entrance pass still applies.
The shuttle is ADA-approved, but pets are not permitted on board (see dog rules below), so a dog has to hike or bike to the summit rather than ride. (NPS Basic Information, updated 9 September 2026.)
How long is the summit trail, and how hard is it?
The Kennesaw Mountain Trail is 2.2 miles out and back from the Visitor Center, about an hour, and NPS rates it “Family Friendly.”
For a longer hike, the Kennesaw Mountain Loop Trail (red-blazed) is 5.8 miles and 2.5–3 hours, moderate to hard; the 24-Gun Battery Trail is 3 miles out and back (about an hour); the Environmental Trail is a family-friendly 1.3-mile loop (about 30 minutes); and a Full Park Hiking Loop (green-blazed) covers all 16 miles of trail in 6+ hours.
Trails are mostly natural, hard-packed dirt and have not been paved or altered — NPS advises checking with a ranger about boulders, steps and drop-offs on any specific trail. (NPS Hiking, updated 19 February 2025 — predates the January 2026 mountain-road vehicle closure above, though the trail distances themselves aren’t affected by that closure.)
Parking: which lot, and does it fill up?
Fees are required at all 10 of the park’s lots. The two largest are the Visitor Center Lot (82 spaces, plus 4 bus and 4 disability spaces) and, about a tenth of a mile west of it on Old Highway 41, the Overflow Lot (262 spaces, 7 disability) — by far the biggest lot in the park.
Smaller lots serve specific trailheads: Mountain Road Lot at the summit (26 spaces), Burnt Hickory (68), Cheatham Hill Dr./Illinois Monument (40), Cheatham Hill Rd./Recreation Area 3 (68), plus a handful of 3–4-space pull-offs (Little Kennesaw, Gilbert Road, Horse Trailer, Kolb Farm). (NPS Parking Lots, updated 24 July 2023.)
NPS itself doesn’t publish a lot-fills-up-by time, but the visitor-guide site npplan.com reports the Visitor Center lot “will be full by 9 AM” on weekends, “if not sooner,” with the Old 41 overflow lot — about a quarter mile away — typically still open. That’s a third-party report, not an NPS figure, so treat it as a planning heads-up rather than a guarantee. (npplan.com, Kennesaw Mountain parking.)
Can you bring a dog to Kennesaw Mountain?
Yes, on a leash no longer than 6 feet, under the handler’s physical control at all times. Mutt mitts are provided in the parking areas. Dogs are not allowed inside the Visitor Center, in restroom facilities, on the shuttle bus, or at water fountains — everywhere else in the park, including the hiking trails, leashed dogs are welcome. (NPS Basic Information, updated 9 September 2026; confirmed on NPS Hiking.)
Strollers and accessibility
The Visitor Center is fully accessible, including the auditorium, exhibits, water fountain and restrooms, and the shuttle bus is ADA-approved. The hiking trails themselves are natural terrain and have not been altered for accessibility.
The paved road to the summit can be used by wheelchair or stroller, though NPS notes it has no shoulders, so caution is required if you’re walking it rather than riding the shuttle or driving (subject to the vehicle-access question above). An all-terrain track chair is available on designated trails through advance registration with All-Terrain Georgia. (NPS Basic Information, updated 9 September 2026.)
How far is Kennesaw Mountain from Atlanta?
23.7 miles and about 32 minutes via I-75 N, per live-traffic Google Maps routing checked 23 September 2026. That route showed a road-closure advisory (“restricted usage or private roads”) on the day we checked — verify current conditions before you go.
Best months for a visit: NPS does not publish a fall-color or best-season recommendation for this park, so we’re not asserting one; the park’s own weather notes only that the summit runs 8–10 degrees cooler than the base, with the same hot summers and mild winters as the rest of metro Atlanta.
FAQ
Is Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park free?
No — entry is $5 per vehicle or per person on foot or bike, or $40 for an annual pass. Children under 16 don’t need their own pass. The America the Beautiful Pass is also accepted. (NPS Fees & Passes, updated 9 January 2025.)
Do you have to pay to park at Kennesaw Mountain?
There’s no separate parking fee — your entrance pass (Daily, Annual, or America the Beautiful) is also your proof of payment for parking, and it’s required at all 10 of the park’s lots. The park is cashless, card only. (NPS Fees & Passes.)
Can you still drive to the top of Kennesaw Mountain?
Not as of January 2026, per the park’s own alert and Operating Hours page, which both describe the summit road as closed to private vehicles, with cycling allowed in a designated lane and a free shuttle running instead.
A separate NPS page (Basic Information) hasn’t been updated to match and still describes a weekday exception — we could not reconcile the two, so plan on the shuttle, a bike, or the hiking trail rather than driving.
How long is the hike to the summit?
The main route, the Kennesaw Mountain Trail, is 2.2 miles round trip from the Visitor Center and takes about an hour; NPS rates it family-friendly. Longer options range from a 1.3-mile loop to a 16-mile full-park loop. (NPS Hiking, updated 19 February 2025.)
Are dogs allowed at Kennesaw Mountain?
Yes, leashed dogs (6 ft maximum) are welcome throughout the park’s grounds and trails, just not inside the Visitor Center, restrooms, on the shuttle bus, or at water fountains. (NPS Basic Information, updated 9 September 2026.)
How far is Kennesaw Mountain from downtown Atlanta?
23.7 miles, about 32 minutes via I-75 N in live-traffic conditions, checked 23 September 2026.
Guides
- Stone Mountain, Georgia hub · Stone Mountain Park Guide
- Stone Mountain vs Kennesaw Mountain
- Chattahoochee River NRA: Fees, Hours and Dogs
- Georgia drive times
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- National Park Service — Fees & Passes (updated 9 January 2025), Operating Hours & Seasons (updated 9 September 2026), Basic Information (updated 9 September 2026), Alerts & Conditions (posted 5 January 2026), Hiking (updated 19 February 2025), Parking Lots (updated 24 July 2023)
- npplan.com — Kennesaw Mountain parking guide (third-party visitor guide, not NPS)
- Google Maps — live-traffic driving directions, Atlanta, GA to 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr, Kennesaw, GA, checked 23 September 2026
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
