Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain peak in Cobb County, Georgia at about 543 m (1,781 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Marietta, about 3.8 km (2.4 mi) away (Kennesaw Mountain lies NW of town).
Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia, U.S., with a summit elevation of 1,808 feet (551 m). It is the highest point in the core (urban and suburban) metro Atlanta area, and fifth after further-north exurban counties are considered. The local terrain averages roughly 1,000 feet (300 m) AMSL. The mountain has two summits: "Big Kennesaw", where the modern-day parking area and scenic overlook are located Little Kennesaw Mountain, where several light hiking trails and nature areas connect the mountains to the rest of the parkFrom the Wikipedia article “Kennesaw Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kennesaw Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:28 AM | 61° ENE | 8:53 PM | 299° WNW | 79° | 14h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:41 AM | 118° ESE | 5:34 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 53m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:17 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 08m |
| February | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 7:25 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:23 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:01 PM | 13h 55m |
| June | 5:58 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 24m |
| July | 6:10 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 12m |
| August | 6:34 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 26m |
| September | 6:57 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:19 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 24m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 54m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Kennesaw Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:16 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:29 AM – 6:19 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 5:37 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 12:30 AM – 4:50 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:36 PM – 4:36 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 3:12 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:58 PM – 1:08 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 9:11 PM – 11:11 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:28 PM – 9:08 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.74 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (59%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 75 | 78 | 84 | 91 | 96 | 108 | 107 | 105 | 103 | 102 | 85 | 78 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 17 | 26 | 38 | 52 | 57 | 56 | 42 | 29 | 20 | 17 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 5.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Kennesaw Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
Covered Bridge
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Beach
State Park
Ghost Town
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Payne Campground-Allatoona Lake16.1 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- Galt'S Ferry Day Use Area (Ga)18.2 km (11.3 mi) · reservable
- Victoria Campground19.8 km (12.3 mi) · reservable
- Sweetwater Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Sweetwater Day Use Area (Ga)25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kennesaw Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Kennesaw Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kennesaw Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kennesaw Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kennesaw Mountain?
How far is Kennesaw Mountain from Marietta?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.