Changes to how visitors can use Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, long in the making, are set to begin in early 2026.
The proposal to ban cars from the top of the mountain was originally planned to go into effect this year. Now, the National Park Service is aiming to launch the changes in January.
The rising population in metro Atlanta has led to an excess of visitors — nearly 1.5 million in 2024 — to the popular recreational spot in Cobb County. Two-lane Kennesaw Mountain Drive is not big enough to handle all of the cars, bicycles and walkers safely, park officials said.
Cars will no longer be able to travel up the access road to the top, and visitors needing a vehicle will be required to use one of two shuttles.
Cyclists will have access only during limited hours, likely when the shuttle is not running. The official rules around cyclists are still being ironed out, officials said.
Restriping of the road will begin in October to delineate designated areas for walkers and the shuttle.
Rangers say having all modes of transportation on the road at once has become too dangerous. Some bikers speed down the mountain, clocked at times at more than 35 mph, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
“The mountain road is just not that wide,” said Ray Hamel, who serves as the park’s spokesperson. “The occurrence of near misses is increasing.”
Credit: Taylor Croft
Credit: Taylor Croft
Currently, the shuttle operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. only on weekends, when the road is closed to bikes and cars. The new plan would add a second shuttle, extend those rules to seven days a week while allowing bikes access for an hour before the shuttle begins and an hour after shuttle service ends.
The park has solicited public feedback on the changes for years, which Hamel said has been mixed. At a 2024 public meeting about the plan, a group of cyclists expressed concerns about not being able to use the mountain for training anymore.
“I love to come up here, and (the plan) restricts when I can,” Andy Thurmond, who grew up in the area, said after the meeting. “I really would like more trails, period.”
But rangers say the road’s limited width just can’t accommodate everyone going up and down at once, especially when a few speed and cause crashes.
“We have this beautiful mountain and a road that’s only 20 feet wide,” park Superintendent Patrick Gammon said at the meeting last year. “It has a pretty steep grade, nine blind curves, and steep drop-offs on the outside of the edge of the road.”
The Park Service’s priority for Kennesaw Mountain is “making sure it’s accessible and safe for all visitors,” Hamel said.
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