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10 Chickamauga Battlefield Hunt Cemetery Loop

Distance 2.7 miles, loop

Hiking Time 1 hour

Difficulty Easy

Elevation +/–260'

Trail Use Leashed dogs and good for kids

Best Times Spring, fall, and winter

Agency National Park Service, Chickamauga Battlefield

Recommended Maps Chickamauga Battlefield Trail Guide and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (both available in the visitor center)

HIGHLIGHTS During the War of 1812, Helm Hunt served in the South Carolina Militia and fought against the Creek Indians in what is now Alabama. For his service he received 280 acres of land on what is now part of the Chickamauga Battlefield. Hunt and several of his family members are buried in a small cemetery in the southernmost part of the battlefield; their graves date back to the late 1800s. During the battle of Chickamauga, Helm Hunt’s home was used as a hospital. Nurse Kate Cumming wrote in her journal that “there had been fighting in Mr. Hunt’s yard, and many killed there.” Helm, who was born in 1789—the same year the US Constitution was adopted—was buried in the cemetery in 1870.

DIRECTIONS From Atlanta, take I-75 north to Exit 350. Travel west on Battlefield Parkway/GA 2 to Fort Oglethorpe. Turn left at the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and Lafayette Road. Travel 1 mile along Lafayette Road to the park entrance and visitor center on the left. From the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, travel south on Lafayette Road to the intersection with Viniard-Alexander Road. Turn left onto Viniard-Alexander Road and travel east 0.6 mile to the parking area on the right.

FACILITIES/TRAILHEAD There are no facilities at the trailhead. Restrooms and a gift shop are available at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, which is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

From the parking area, enter the wide gravel path and travel southeast (Waypoint 1). After traveling a little more than 1,000 feet, turn right onto the Yellow Trail, a dirt-and-gravel path that goes south. As you approach Chickamauga Creek, the forest transitions from pines to hardwoods. This part of the park sees relatively few visitors; a group of six deer scampered away as I hiked here in summer.

At 0.7 mile, the trail bends left near the bank of Chickamauga Creek and runs east (Waypoint 2). Along the next section I had an unexpected encounter with a small group of cattle on the trail, no doubt escapees from a nearby farm. The leader sported horns, though I suspect it was a female rather than a male. Still, horns are horns, so I gave them a wide berth as they passed.

The trail crosses a massive field, bearing slightly to the right (east) and continues in the trees at the opposite side of the opening (Waypoint 3). At 1.2 miles, the path leaves the forest and turns sharply left, running north along the edge of a field.

At 1.3 miles, Hunt Cemetery lies a few yards inside the forest (Waypoint 4). The small, square plot is surrounded by an iron fence; you can enter through a gate, but tread lightly and do not disturb the tombstones. Some of the stone markers are quite weathered and difficult to read, but some clearly date back to the 1800s. One family member buried in the cemetery, Jeptha Hunt, served in the 12th Georgia Cavalry from 1863 to 1865, survived the war, and lived until 1895.

From the cemetery, continue into the forest, traveling north through a corridor of brambles and thickets. At 1.7 miles (Waypoint 5), turn left onto a gravel road and continue north in a quiet and much more attractive forest of pines and hardwoods.

You’ll reach a road intersection at 2.1 miles (Waypoint 6). Turn right on the gravel road to go north briefly before bending to the west. Along this road, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Cheatham assembled his troops; they served as reserve forces for Gen. Braxton Bragg’s front line. Continue on this road to return to the parking area.

Hunt Cemetery

WAYPOINTS

1. N34º 54.09' W85º 15.097'

2. N34º 53.494' W85º 15.027'

3. N34º 53.470' W85º 14.801'

4. N34º 53.557' W85º 14.493'

5. N34º 53.736' W85º 14.299'

6. N34º 53.810' W85º 14.648'