Just when I think I have explored a good bit of hiking trails near Atlanta, last weekend a pleasant surprise awaited me: Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. Right outside of Atlanta, right by the town of Lithonia is a series of trails that span a good bit, anchored by Arabia Mountain.
If you have ever heard of Stone Mountain, imagine a smaller sibling of that large single granite rock outcrop in the flatter land around and that is Arabia Mountain.
The “ascent” to the top of Arabia Mountain
Standing at 955 ft, Arabia Mountain is a little more than half the altitude of Stone Mountain. Maybe not as impressive as Stone Mountain but I was pleasantly surprised as I hiked 2 miles+ to get to its base on a cold and gray winter Saturday afternoon. The slope is gentle and relatively easy. The path up is marked with small stone towers that fit in with the landscape.
At the top, there are pools of water perhaps mainly due to recent rains and lots of moss and delicate vegetation. While it was not the best day for views, I rather prefer days with cloud coverage and a slight chill in the air for my hikes. The only bad thing about choosing that day to go up was that the view was limited and we could not see too far beyond the near vicinity of the area.
Hiking around the lake at Arabia Mountain
After descending, we decided to do a loop around the lake at the base of the mountain. It was a neat trail looking at the lake and the rock of the mountain behind it.
After completing the non-mountain side of the lake, we stepped onto the mountain walking along its lower edge along the opposite side of the lake. It was not the most comfortable walk as our feet were not horizontal and it was slippery from the rain but it was sort of fun.
The lake area felt pristine and the path was mostly a nature trail so that was a real treat.
Our approach to get to Arabia Mountain
There is a parking lot right at the base of Arabia Mountain for those not as inclined to make a longer hike.
However, as I mentioned, this is all part of a larger network of trails that cross Dekalb and Rockdale counties from Lithonia all the way to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit.
While not our original plan, we were quite pleased at how things turned out. We ended up in one of the parking areas near the mountain but not the one at its base or the next closest one.
Instead, we parked near Vaughters farm, about 2 miles from the mountain. The trail began on a paved path (why do they insist on concreting trails…) along the fields of the Vaughters farm. It took me back to my days doing the Camino de Santiago. Rolling hills of green surrounded by forests until a mile later, when we hit the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center. Another mile took us to the Arabia Mountain trailhead which also house a wildlife center.
Of course, the walk back to Vaughters farm was 2 miles but enjoying the landscape around was very rewarding even if the rolling hills were getting to me on the last mile of my 7.5 mile hike (which took 2 hours and 40 minutes)…
To get to Arabia Mountain just go on I-20 East from downtown Atlanta (maybe 40 mins with good traffic?), well past I-285 to exit 74. As a reference, Arabia Mountain is southwest of Stonecrest Mall, if you are familiar with the area.
