February 24, 2026
Sawnee Mountain Preserve Trails
near Cumming, GA
While it was cool, we had a sunny hike with 32 to 45°F temperatures. With a suggestion by Sue Vaughn, we added on to our planned hike on the Hilltop, Mountainside & Ridgeline Loop with a short hike to the top of Indian Seats for a very scenic view of the mountains to the north. The facilities at Sawnee Mountain Preserve are excellent and the trails are actually in good shape considering the heavy use by "those urban hikers." Yes, it was a fairly rocky and rooty climb for the first 1.6 miles, but less than some sections of the Appalachian Trails. These are high canopy woodland trails, but with little understory growth making for an unfortunate view of the every encroaching development around the preserve throughout the hike. The preserve also has a very nice visitor center that, "has information on the flora and fauna of Sawnee Mountain, Native American artifacts, and the story of Sawnee Mountain's preservation & conservation." It's worth a hiking visit and we followed up with a lunch at Marie's Italian Deli in Cumming.
Today's Hikers: Jenny Bell, Angela Evans, Sue Vaughn, Heather Wall, Ericka McGibbon & Mike Bell.
The route
7.0 mi · 1,037 ft climbing · 4h 0m out, 3h 27m walking · 2.0 mph moving
Elevation
Hover over the profile to see the elevation and steepness. Your position will be shown on the map.
Part 1 of 2 · 5.4 mi
- Steepness
- Gentle under 5%
- Moderate 5–10%
- Steep 10–15%
- Very steep over 15%
Part 2 of 2 · 1.7 mi
- Steepness
- Gentle under 5%
- Moderate 5–10%
- Steep 10–15%
- Very steep over 15%
19 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (20)
A panoramic view of the mountains to the north from Indian Seats. Today's Hikers (L-R): Mike, Jenny, Angela, Sue, Heather & Ericka . . . oops and Bear. Entrance sign to trailhead northwest of Cumming, GA. Getting ready at the very nice trailhead. Headed UP the trail. Yep. It's a chilly start today . . . but sunny. It's a bit rocky for the first 1.6 miles, but not really that bad. This tree is determined to get it's share of sunlight. Looking toward the southeast and Cumming. Looking toward the northwest from the Mountainside Trail is a bit more picturesque. Let's take a break. A small pond on our return leg of the main loop hike. What, no turtles sunning today? How about this tree full of burls? Nope, they are not hurting the tree. Next, let's check out Indian Seats. Notice we've removed some layers! It's uphill for 0.75 mile. Sue, I thought you said it was 0.5 mile round trip. Up on Indian Seats it's quite rocky. But with some very nice views. Trying to figure out the mountain peaks we see in the distance. Photo by Sue Vaughn Headed back, but where's Jenny?