NPS Unit Count: 88,89
Hey there Adventurers! We are approaching the finale of Bark Ranger Maisy’s first big #USBarkRangers adventure! So far, our trip has taken us from St. Petersburg, FL, up the northeast coast of Florida, along the Georgia coast, through South Carolina, and into the bottom of North Carolina. Our last stops on the way back to Florida will see us stopping at 3 more sites in Georgia. Today’s stops saw us meeting up with another one of the moderators of the Facebook group to visit Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield.
Our first stop was Arabia Mountain. This is not a national park unit, per se, but it is an “affiliated” unit. What that means…well, I’m not entirely clear. Here is what the NPS says: “…are not units of the National Park Service and are managed by other government agencies or non-government organizations and landowners. The National Park Service is involved in related areas by directly managing the entire or sections of a related area, or by providing technical or financial assistance.” So take that as you will! Arabia Mountain is just outside of Atlanta and seems to be popular! Maisy and I met up with one of our group’s great moderators and her pups. We managed to find a park employee who gave me one of their Bark Ranger bandanas! The park visitor center is usually not open on the weekends…which is weird, considering who busy the park was, but anyway, we got the bandana! Afterward, the whole crew drove a bit down the road and took a short hike up to the top of the mountain. Mountain is a generous term for what even a sea-leveler like me would call a hill, but in any event it was a high point of the area and had some great views around! It was also very warm, despite being early in the day, and the hike to the summit is exposed, so prepare accordingly for water and sensitive paws!
After a stop at a the Varsity, a local famous eatery in downtown Atlanta (and a third failed attempt to get an MLK National Historical Park passport stamp) we found ourselves checking out Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield on the other side of the city. As opposed to all the other battlefields we visited on this trip, this one is a Civil War Battlefield, and is also very popular with the locals. There was no Bark Ranger program or swag there when we visited, although the visitor center ranger told me a different story, that they were just out of stock on swag….it’s still a mystery! In any event, the park was doing a cool battle re-creation when we were there, which was neat to see! We took a big pack walk on a trail that started at the park visitor center and made a big loop up the mountain and back around. The park was quite busy and it was great to see so many locals taking advantage of their nearby parks! FYI, the park sign for this one is right on a very busy road with no good spot to pull over. If you are like me and like getting the sign pictures, plan to do it quickly and at a time when traffic is very light!
That wrapped up the day and Maisy and I were off to our hotel for the night ready to begin our 8 hour trip home! And there is one more stop on the way!
The Parks Adventurer 