Hiking with Dogs at Red Top Mountain

Rocco pauses on a log on the White Tail Trail at Red Top Mountain

Last weekend we joined up with one of our favorite dog hiking Meetup groups for a hike at Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville, Ga.  One of the fun things about Meetup groups is discovering places we haven't been before. And while I've been to Red Top Mountain, I didn't know about the Iron Hill Bike/Hike trail, the 3.9 mile trail we tackled with our Meetup group last weekend.

Red Top Mountain was once an important mining area for iron, and this trail is named for the soil's rich red color caused by high iron-ore content.

One of the nice things about this trail it winds along the banks of Lake Allatoona, and there's a nice spot where dogs can swim. However the park rules say that pets should be kept on a leash at all times with a maximum leash length of six feet. So the dogs in our group waded in, but there wasn't a whole lot of swimming.

After our walk along the scenic Iron Hill Trail, we decided to explore a few more trails in the park. Red Top Mountain has more than 15 miles of hiking trails including:

• The Lakeside Trail, a .75-mile paved trail suitable for wheelchairs that includes a reconstructed 1860s log cabin
• The WhiteTail Trail, a 1-mile trail that leads to a scenic point at the edge of Lake Allatoona

We decided to explore these first since they seemed most scenic.

First we explored the paved Lakeside trail, above, which included the 1869 homestead, benches along the banks and a dock with a lovely view of the lake.

Then, we headed to the White Tail trail -- named after Rocco's white tail... or maybe not! This is the trail that winds up at a scenic point overlooking the 12,000 acre Lake Allatoona. Rocco and I enjoyed the view from the rocks. 

We'll have to go back another day to check out the three other trails that range from .75 miles to 5.5 miles in length. 

Special Prize Giveaway by Cloud Star

This week we will be randomly selecting one of the commenters from the FitDog Friday blog hosts: SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love.  The selected commenter will receive a sample pack of dog treats courtesy of Cloud Star, makers of Dynamo Dog Functional Treats.  Make sure to share your FitDog Friday thoughts in the comments below and on our co-hosts blogs and you may win a great prize for your fit dog!

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!) and to help combat pet obesity. Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.