A perfect example of a hike that gets better in winter, the Sawnee Mountain Preserve Mountainside Trail System is a great way to stay in shape over the colder months. During summer there will be no views, but during winter catch occasional views through the bare trees as you hike around Sawnee Mountain.

This page describes hiking a clockwise loop starting at the main trailhead off of Bettis Tribble Gap road. An alternate trailhead begins at Cumming First United Methodist Church on the opposite end of the trail system. The primary trailhead has a large parking lot, restrooms, playground, and pavilions.

The trail leaves the parking lot at the end at the loop or near the entrance to form a loop in either direction. All intersections are marked with full color maps making navigation easy. The trail is well maintained, albeit a bit rocky in places but nothing too challenging. All paths are blazed white.

The two most difficult sections of this trail system are avoided with this loop. The inner connecting trail and the Church Trail are both much steeper than the rest of the trails. So feel free to make your own loop to include these sections to burn a few extra calories. If you want more, check out the Indian Seats Trail System immediately across the road from the trailhead.