Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

November 04, 2018 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Mountaintop trail address: trailhead at AWARE Wildlife Center, 4158 Klondike Road, Lithonia, GA 30038
Visitors center address: 3787 Klondike Road, Lithonia, GA 30038
Cost of admission: Free
Acres: 2550
Approximate miles of trails: 11
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 20
MARTA directions: Take the 86 from Kensington Station or the 116 from Indian Creek Station to the Mall Pkwy @ Klondike Rd stop. From there, walk west and then south along the PATH trail for about 2.5 miles to the visitors center, or exit the PATH trail earlier along one of the unpaved nature trails.
Parking: There is parking available at the mountaintop trailhead and visitors center (both addresses above) and at Vaughters' Farm (approximate address: 3366 Klondike Rd, Lithonia, GA 30038)
Trail surface: PATH trails are paved and boardwalk, other trails are unpaved
Blazes/markings: The trail blazes are documented on this map
Geocaching: There are many geocaches at Arabia Mountain
Best time to visit: The diamorpha bloom in March-April, and yellow daisies bloom in September
Guidebook mentions: Chapters 32-36 in Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests (1st edition), chapter 47 in 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles (3rd edition), chapter 60 in Hiking Georgia (4th edition)

Amenities:

Restrooms at mountaintop trailhead, visitors center, and Vaughters Farm (no running water)
Bike racks at Vaughters' Farm and the nature center
Picnic tables at nature center and other locations
Water fountain at Vaughters Farm

Links:
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area website
Visitor guide
Trail map
NPS

Photos

July 23, 2016

Yellow Daisies, October 1, 2017

Palm Warbler and Yellow Daisies, October 1, 2017

PATH trail, October 1, 2017

Arabia Lake, October 1, 2017

Yellow Daisies, October 1, 2017

Vaughters Farm, March 24, 2018

Diamorpha, March 24, 2018

For more photos, see my flickr album.

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Featured

Big Haynes Creek Nature Center

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Panola Mountain State Park

Updated July 31, 2016, October 2, 2017, March 24, 2018, and November 4, 2018

Big Haynes Creek Nature Center

Big Haynes Creek Nature Trail

May 28, 2018 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Not to be confused with Big Haynes Creek Recreation Area, Big Haynes Creek Nature Center is part of the Georgia International Horse Park, home to the equestrian events at the 1996 Olympics. These 173 acres were designated as a nature preserve and opened in 2007. The nature center features hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails, as well as a boat launch for canoes and kayaks. Some trails have bikes and horses separated, others are combined. Some of the trails are very wide and flat, while some are very narrow and moderately steep. Note: some of the biking and hiking trails are along granite outcrops and may be very slippery when wet.

Address: 855 Costley Mill Rd NE, Conyers, GA 30013
Cost of admission: None
Governance: Georgia International Horse Park
Acres: 173
Approximate miles of trails: Around 5 miles of trails in the nature center; around 20 miles total trails in the horse park
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 27
Parking and trailhead: Signs direct you to the nature center parking lot, which is across Costley Mill Rd from Gate D of the Georgia International Horse Park
Trail surface: Natural
Blazes/markings: Trails are blazed with paint on trees
Dogs allowed: Yes
Fishing allowed: No
Guidebook mentions: None

Amenities:

Four tent pads, grills, and a fire pit are available for approved groups
Boat ramp for canoes and kayaks
Interpretive signage
Equestrian and mountain bike trails (hiking appears to be permitted on both)
Wetlands overlook with viewfinder and bench

Links:

For more photos, see my flickr album.

From around the web

Random eBird sightings from the last 30 days

Good to combine with:

Stone Mountain Park

Stone Mountain

December 03, 2017 by Shawn Taylor in parks

Address: 1000 Robert E Lee Blvd, Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Admission: $15 parking fee per car. Free if you don't arrive by car.*
Acres: 3,200
Approximate miles of trails: 15
Hours: Hours vary. You can check the hours here.
Miles from downtown Atlanta: 15
MARTA directions: You can take the 121 bus from Kensington station to downtown Stone Mountain (corner of W Mountain St and Main St). From there, walk South on Main St. In a few blocks, you will see the PATH trail on your left. The trail will take you directly into the park. It's about a 10 minute walk from the bus stop into the park, although the walk might be much farther to your destination within the park.
Cycling directions: The Stone Mountain PATH trail connects Stone Mountain Park to downtown Decatur, downtown Atlanta, and the BeltLine

* There is some free parking available downtown in the town of Stone Mountain, GA. From there, you can bike or walk the Stone Mountain Trail into the park without needing to pay an entrance fee. There is another pedestrian entrance on E Mountain St. Where the road turns left before entering the park, you can walk straight into the park instead of going left. However, this gate is only open from sunrise to sunset.

Links:
Stone Mountain Park
Maps