North Georgia Tri-Mountain Hike: Monadnock Madness!

Georgia has three monadnocks, all within a relatively short drive of Atlanta.  Stone Mountain easily remains the most popular, but many hikers actually enjoy the scenery of Arabia and Panola mountains even more.  Each spring, outdoors enthusiasts get the opportunity to explore each and learn about their ecology during Monadnock Madness. 

During Monadnock Madness, tour guides lead visitors to the summits of Georgia’s three monadnocks, describing the unique history and geology of each along the way.  While located well below the line of what is typically considered the North Georgia Mountains, our hike would still introduce us to some of the most unique ecology and geology found within the peach state. 

Weather forecasts predicted excessive rain throughout the day.  Fortunately, we never saw more than a few drops, but the threat of inclement weather kept most visitors away, allowing us to have the trails largely to ourselves.  

The event kicked off at Stone Mountain Park just after 3:00 PM.  Although the original plan was to meet in the Education Annex parking lot, we were permitted to instead park at Confederate Hall due to the lack of visitors.  This put us right in front of the trailhead that would begin our tri-mountain adventure.  Though largely vacant today, the unfortunate side to the park having so many visitors is that Stone Mountain’s natural features are largely eroded.  Still, some vernal pools could be found during the ascent, offering quick glimpses at some unique flora colonies. 

Though the rain had subsided, clouds still block most of the significant views.  Though Stone Mountain is known for its overlooks of Atlanta and the North Georgia Mountains, the cloud cover presented a thick fog that obscured any views beyond the mountain’s surface.   It also promoted a more ambient atmosphere during the hike, with a landscape that resembled a horror movie scene.

The rainwater runoff that continued cascading down the mountainside was sure to provide a greater challenge for our hike.  However, it also brought out the solution pools that are normally damaged by heavy foot traffic.  The guide drew our attention to a few pools along the way that featured diamorpha colonies that remained surprisingly intact.  He also indentified various features of the mountain, including crevices caused by volcanic pressure and messages carved into the mountains decades ago. 

Upon reaching the top, we were allowed into the restricted area fenced off from the rest of the park.  Inside, the natural features of Stone Mountain remained better preserved.  The fence drew a clear line between the protected and public areas of the mountain.  A thin moss covered the surface, while solution pools offered a look at some highly delicate (and endangered) plant species.  While the area is fenced off to preserve these habitats, it also ensures the safety of visitors, as a steep drop down the mountainside remained obscured by fog just a short distance away.  We were well advised to stay close to the fence, and no one in our group dared to tempt fate.

The hike back down proved even more challenging, as the cascading water would attempt to expedite our descent.  After carefully hiking down the steepest portion of the mountain, the guide decided to continue through a wooded area, a surprising site for the surface of a granite mountain.  The early signs of spring could be found throughout, including some plants native to monadnocks. 

Next, we headed over to our second monadnock for the day, Arabia Mountain.  At a quick glance, Arabia appears similar to Stone Mountain, but it wasn’t long into the hike that we began to discover an incredibly unique ecosystem.  Given the reduced foot traffic, Arabia Mountain’s environment is far more intact.  Vernal pools could be found throughout, each featuring colonies of unique, endangered plant species.  Aside from the pools, the area is about the closest thing to a desert that can be found in Georgia.  It naturally features plants that are commonly native to arid environments.  The prickly pear cactus and are just some of the desert-like plants found on the monadnock, and the mountain’s surface temperature regularly exceeds 110 degrees during summer months.  As we neared Arabia Lake, we could see rainwater runoff combining with some of the mountain’s natural springs to form what could only be described as a shallow river cascading down the surface.  While the water never seemed to reach more than a few inches in depth, small rapids formed in some areas. 

Our final destination would bring us to Panola Mountain State Park.  Here, we would find an environment similar to that of Arabia Mountain, but even better preserved.  However, we would also enjoy the rare opportunity to see the special glow of the granite monadnock’s solution pools that only appears with the evening sky.  Unlike the other two monadnocks, Panola Mountain has never been quarried, leaving the full natural features intact.  As such, this is also the most strictly protected of the three, as hikes to its summit are only available with a qualified guide.  Fortunately, we had two knowledgeable leading our group.  As we hiked to its surface, the sun began to set, allowing the red diamorpha to contrast well with the dark blue sky reflecting in its solution pools.  As we reached the peak, we found a particularly well preserved pool surrounded by moss in a setting that seemed almost alien.  It was here that we were given our award for completing the epic hike, a commemorative bandana perfectly suited for future adventures.

Even though the prize had been given, the trip wasn’t quite over yet.  We still had to get back down the mountain, but our descent would lead us down one of its steepest sections.  Despite not seeing more than a few drops of perception, some moisture still remained from the morning showers, making the already challenging descent even more perilous.  Our event guides showed us a special sidestepping technique to make the hike down safer, but some of us chose a more exciting method.  Rather than working against gravity, we chose to get down on our backsides and let it carry us to the ground.  Our group of adults found their inner child very quickly, and what could have been a nerve-wrecking, ankle splitting experience turned out to be a fun time for all.  Even with the sky growing darker, we could still make out the silhouettes of large boulders under the thick canopy of forest as we trekked back to our makeshift parking lot.