Enjoy a short hike up to the summit of Pine Mountain near Cartersville, Ga for fantastic views to the south including Lake Allatoona. At less than 30 miles outside of Atlanta, this is a worthy short trail for those that like a little challenge as well.

The parking lot for the East trailhead is much smaller than the West Loop parking lot, but it's also a lot less busy. The East loop itself is much less traveled so if you're looking for a little more solitude, this is the hike for you. At least until you get to the top.

Leaving the trailhead, pass the Cooper's Furnace connector trail on the right before coming to the split that forms this loop. All intersections are well marked and navigating is easy. To the right the trail is blazed yellow. To the left, white. You can take either way but the details on this page represent going around counter-clockwise, so to the right.

The loop reconnects just before the summit. Take the now white and yellow blazed trail to connect to the summit trail. At this point the trail is blazed red and blue as well, a combination of both East and West loops. At 600 feet above the trailhead, the Pine Mountain Overlook rewards you with an expansive 180-degree views to the south encompassing Lake Allatoona, Cartersville, and Plant Bowen to the west.

From here, you can head back the way you came, descending down the opposite side of the loop or you could continue hiking the West Loop to make this a 4.7 mile double loop.