"Arabia Mountain Sunrise" by William Bishop , public domain
Arabia Mountain
National Heritage Area - Georgia
The Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area in the U.S. state of Georgia encompasses natural, cultural, and historical elements to form a cohesive, nationally significant environment. The area is due east of Atlanta and reaches from the historic commercial center of Lithonia to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, including a number of sites in between, including Panola Mountain State Park, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, the Mall at Stonecrest, and more.
Official Brochure of Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area (NHA) in Georgia. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Arabia Mountain NHA
https://www.nps.gov/armo/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia_Mountain_National_Heritage_Area
The Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area in the U.S. state of Georgia encompasses natural, cultural, and historical elements to form a cohesive, nationally significant environment. The area is due east of Atlanta and reaches from the historic commercial center of Lithonia to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, including a number of sites in between, including Panola Mountain State Park, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, the Mall at Stonecrest, and more.
For millions of years, granite monadnocks have stood watch over the rivers and forests of Georgia. These breathtaking landscapes are the cornerstones of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, which serves to protect & promote these outcrops and the surrounding region as a recreational wonder and national treasure.
The Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area lies just east of Atlanta along I-20. It is a partnership area 40,000 large where visitors will find large, granite outcroppings, historic communities and spiritual spaces.
Arabia Mountain
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area
Georgia
Partner of the National Park Service
400 Million Years in the Making!
Explore a land that has taken 400 million years to form. The Arabia Mountain
National Heritage Area (NHA) is dominated by two geological oddities known
as monadnocks. Natural wonders, compelling history and heart-pumping
activity all converge here.
Hikers can discover rare plants and intriguing geology at The Davidson-Arabia
Mountain Nature Preserve and Panola Mountain State Park, a National Natural
Landmark. Get lost above the trees at the peak of Arabia Mountain and view
the City of Atlanta in the distance. Find the remnants of a once-massive quarry
industry that sent Lithonia granite off to build monumental buildings in the
U.S. and around the world.
Bike along the Arabia Mountain PATH, past historic farms and along the shoals
of the South River. You choose your pace and your distance – a short meander
or a 30-mile ride of challenging switchbacks and hills. Learn about two
cultures that form the modern fabric of the NHA. At the Flat Rock Archives,
see how people survived enslavement and segregation to build a resilient
Black community in the rural South. Tour a farm where enslaved people once
toiled and the cemetery where those people and their descendants are buried.
At the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, meet a community of Trappist monks
who moved to Georgia during World War II and built a place of peace. Visitors
can discover extraordinary architecture, an unparalleled bonsai exhibit and gift
shop selling tasty treats and crafts prepared by the monks themselves.
Modern shopping, dining and lodging amenities at Stonecrest Mall and in
downtown Lithonia.
For more information, visit arabiaalliance.org. Follow us on Facebook,
Instagram @arabiamountain_nha and Twitter @arabia_alliance.
Photo courtesy: Phil Varney
Panola Mountain State Park
Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve
The lunar-like landscape of Arabia Mountain
is the most easily identified vista of the
National Heritage Area. The mountain itself
is part of a 2,550-acre DeKalb County nature
preserve, which also includes other large
formations of exposed granite, wetlands,
pine and oak forests, multiple streams and
two lakes. The delightful native plant species,
such as the signature red diamorpha,
which blooms in the early spring, and
fall’s yellow daisies (photo below) make
it seem as though the rock is in constant
metamorphosis.
How to Hike
• Keep your dogs leashed – that way, everyone
can enjoy the trails.
While the Nature Preserve is considered an
exceptional ecological wonder, the area is
also very much influenced by human hands.
The evidence of quarrying activities is
apparent in the industrial debris left on the
mountain and in the abandoned structures
once used by workers for storage, offices and
shelter. Metal spikes that were used to split
the granite are still embedded in the rock.
Nature Center & Mountain Access
@ 3787 Klondike Road, Stonecrest 30038
One of Georgia’s major conservation successes,
this State Park showcases the pristine
ecosystems of Panola Mountain, a rare
example of an untouched monadnock in the
American Southeast. Panola Mountain
has been protected from development
since 1972. Today, it is a recreational
haven where visitors can spend the
night at a primitive campground or
sleep in a tree! The park also offers
Park Entrance
programs on archery, orienteering,
@ 2620 Highway 155, SW, Stockbridge 30281
birding and tree-climbing. Mountain
access only with a guided tour.
Alexander Lakes Recreation Area
$5 parking fee.
@ 4871 Flat Bridge Rd, Stockbridge 30281
• Get a permit for professional photography
(the rangers will tell you where to get the
best pictures).
• Do not use fires, fireworks or smokebombs.
Help us protect this rare and fragile
ecosystem!
• Leave no trace – take only pictures and leave
the landscape untouched behind you.
Visit gastateparks.org/PanolaMountain for
programs and hours.
Mountain Base
@ 4158 Klondike Road, Stonecrest 30038
Open daily, dawn to dusk.
Eric Bowles
The “sensitive fern” is one
of the many flowers found
on the granite
outcrops.
The succulent called
diamorpha blankets the
mountain with a red
carpet in early spring
before small white
blooms pop.
City of Lithonia
The name Lithonia itself means “stone
place” in Greek and the city (est. 1856)
boomed during the explosive granite
quarry industry. Explorers can see the remains of the area’s first African-American
public schools and cemeteries, visit an early
lending library and marvel at the granite
architecture.
Photo courtesy: William Bishop
Take a self-guided walking tour, participate
in geocaching or start your journey on the
Arabia Mountain PATH hike/bike trail.
City Hall
@ 6920 Main Street, Open M-F 9am-5pm
The habitats of Arabia and
Panola Mountains attract
diverse species of butterflies
and birds.
The Lithonia Woman’s Club was the area’s first lending
library. Today, it remains a comm