Davidson-Arabia Nature Preserve

I went here for the first time with my friend and it was like a scene from a movie. I love nature and there is plenty of it here. It’s the forest. People are nice here too, everyone says hello, it’s an all around good vibe. Very beautiful and peaceful. Will be back SOON!

There is not a Unilocal page just saying Arabia Mountain. I didn’t post the pics on this page until Robin pointed it out to me. I posted on the Arabian Mountain Trail, I mean, who would have thought?
Why did I take so long to visit Arabia Mountain? How come I never heard about it? I grew up in Dekalb County, in the Dec! Come on. I only have heard of Stone Mountain, which I still go to till this day and Panola Mountain. Why not Arabia Mountain? I like to stay active so I was looking up mountains to hike since I just I want to see what other mountains I can take on.
Since the weather has been weird, it took me longer to finally check out Arabian Mountain. Honestly, I mainly came to check out AWARE Wildlife Center but they were closed and were at the Dogwood Festival instead. Since I parked in that side, I decided to take the trail that was there. Apparently, according to everyone else on Unilocal who has been, seems like I was on the other side of the mountain.
It really seemed like I was on another planet. More like Mars. Seriously. I am a huge Divergent fan so if you are too, after going over the wall, it reminded me of those scenes from Allegiant. I mean, the movie was filmed here too, right? It was beautiful! Some people say mini Stone Mountain but it’s more like Panola Mountain to me. It’s not crowded and still have beautiful plants on it. Since I’ve been going to Stone Mountain a lot, the hike up Arabia was a breeze. You will find a block of stones looking like a barrel to help lead you up. There were a lot of craters so you do have to watch your steps. The mountain was much longer on top than I would have thought. I saw a lake on the other side. I didn’t explore the full mountain but will next time because I am curious how far it will go. It is definitely beautiful on top. It was really windy. I need another beautiful day to stay longer next time. Definitely coming back!

Pretty easy and shady walk. Half of the trails are shaded and the other half is up a plateau which I guess is the «mountain.» One of the trail goes out behind people’s houses.
There is a lake about a mile from the main visiting center. I noticed two parking lots, one at the main visitor center and another at a wildness center. On the mountain, the trail is marked with these stone towers about knee high. You can’t miss them.
There are tiny cacti everywhere and these tiny red plants you are not supposed to step on but they are in the most random places where you need to step. We did find this puddle on the top of the mountain filled with tadpoles, so many tadpoles

After reading all the rave reviews we took the 1.15 hr one way drive from Johns Creek to Lithonia and what a let down this park was! First off all it’s in Lithonia… No offense to the residents, but come on. The parking is free, but I feel much safer paying Piedmont $ 3/​hr and parking at their gated garage.
Forget the location and the parking… The Park has to be WOW right? Umm unfortunately not. The kiddie picnic area was very tiny, and one part of the trail runs parallel to the road, so you can hear the road/​car noise when you walk.
We took another trail to see the ‘water body’ and again what a giant disappointment. It smelled bad, and the brown/​yellowish water had gunk so you couldn’t stand too close and enjoy the view.
Please note, we were just looking for a pleasant 1 hr walk around nature, but if you are planning a trail to climb up a mountain, this review is not for that.
One good thing is that the park is not crowded. If I was local, I may have gone for a run, but it certainly isn’t worth driving more than 20 mins for an experience (sorry Arabia caretakers if I sounded harsh, but it’s just my humble opinion)

The parks department really did a great job here. There are miles of trails and everything is well marked and well maintained.
Go to Arabia Mountain, it’s worth it and pretty easy. Park in the south parking lot and follow the well marked stone markers (cairns) up to the top.

We decided to come to Arabia one Saturday morning. It was less commercial than Stone Mountain, you don’t have to pay to park and it wasn’t overly crowded. We parked and walked through a little trail on the way to the bigger piece. We passed by a small house that had Mother’s Day activities going on inside and some outdoor training going on in front.
We proceeded to climb Arabia Mountain, but saw a new path for the lake so we decided to follow the yellow signs and see what that was about. It’s is great place to do anything outdoors. You can take pictures, climb the mountain, walk the trail to the lake and/​or exercise. I enjoyed every moment of walking, even though I was hot and sweaty from carrying a fetus and hiking. We made a choice to try and do it every Saturday we’re in town. It was a hot, Spring day but that made it better. We got to feel the «burn» — lol.
I loved the way the mountain was set up, the landscape was much different than Stone Mountain and there were parts and time where we didn’t see any other people for long lengths of time — which I loved. It was serene and calm. This is my new favorite place.

This park was beautiful. It was clean and kept up with. It was an easy and enjoyable hike up the mountain. There were tons of little pools in the granite that provided a home to a gorgeous mix of moss, grasses, flowers, and sedums. The mountain is a perfect spot to check out and enjoy on a nice day.

Great outdoor nature preserve to get out and commune with the environment.

Why do I always wait until I move away to treasure the local gems? As other Unilocalers have mentioned this place is gorgeous. Great for a walk with the dog, bike ride with the family, or a lone adventure of the «mountain.» There are plenty lots along the trail for parking and to take a break. Be careful though. Watch for creatures and broken tree limbs and brush.

We had been wanting to check out Arabia Mountain and some of the surrounding trails for a while now and we finally got around to it on a somewhat overcast Saturday. We arrived around 1130am and there were only a few other cars parked in the South parking lot. We parked, walked across the small footbridge, and began the very, very short approach to the base of Arabia Mountain.
It’s gorgeous. Open rock face, tons of shifted rock, cairns marking the path, pretty coniferous trees, and a great view. You can see in almost 360º and if you look closely to the west, you can see a few buildings in Downtown ATL. (Especially the BoA building). We spent a little bit of time enjoying the fun wildlife and flora/​fauna on the mountaintop. There are some really interesting species growing everywhere and are really cool to read about.
We walked back down the patch and jumped in the car to the North parking lot, parked, and began to walk the paved path. There are multiple routes to take back towards Arabia Mountain and all through Lithonia. We ended up walking about 2 – 3 miles on the path that eventually hit Klondike road again, and then we turned back. It was a super calm, heavily wooded path with a good mix of sunshine and shade. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Very peaceful.
I really enjoyed the landscape of Arabia Mounain. We both want to go back when different plants and flowers are in bloom and hopefully on a more sunny day.

Located in Lithonia, this place is B E A U T I F U L.
— Older than Stone Mountain, and known as it’s wealthier more well-​kept, richer, prettier cousin… it’s truly a site you must see!
— There are many sections to it and it looks different depending on the season. There are parts where you have paths and there are parts where you just hike. It’s the most peaceful outdoor park in the metro area, hands down, and it’s a hidden treasure.
— You don’t know what you’ll see in regards to wildlife, so definitely dress appropriately and be prepared.
— Lithonia is basically I-​20 East going towards Augusta… the park is only about 35 minutes from the city (midtown), depending on traffic of course.
If you’re an explorer and nature lover, you’ll LOVE this place, guaranteed. It’s serene and gorgeous!

So peaceful, well maintained and beautiful. Not overly crowded like most parks in the area. A really great way to get out of the city and enjoy some wildlife!

This reminds me of the many hikes I have had in Ca. The weather here is nice. The hike has many different terrians. You could go on the trial that is marked by stacked rocks or go off on your own. Occasionally youll also see some wildlife. If you follow the trial, before you get to the top (about 20 min), there is a 70 degree ish uphill hike that can be a bit strenuous for some people. The view from the top is amazing. You can see the city in the back, lots of trees and a lake. From their you can go down other paths that brings you to a smaller mountain or the lake. Overall it was a great experience and I would go back again! Cheers!
Note: The top of the mountain is marked by a circular metal structure on the ground.

Great spot for hiking. Multiple trails on the premises and not crowded. 20 mins out of the city. Will definitely be coming back often. If you want to hike to the mountain peak, its easier to park at the base of the mountain by the AWARE wildlife reserve.

I was really impressed with this place. Like the other Unilocalers, it really is the sister to Stone Mountain but in my opinion, much cooler, less crowded, and parking is free. The drive is not bad here eiher if you are coming from Atlanta. It’s about a 10 minute drive from the highway. There are multiple parking lots. I would recommend to park in the South Parking lot if you are planning to hike the mountain. The Boardwalk looks pretty cool though. If you happen to park in the Nature Center parking and want to hike up the mountain, you can just walk the boardwalk to get across. The trail itself up the mountain is gorgeous. Make sure you follow the stones which will eventually turn into blue markings. Once you actually reach the top, you can just keep walking into foreverland. It’s gorgeous and after a while, you forget you’re even in Georgia, let alone the world. That’s how serene it is. I recommend to wear good hiking shoes and pack a picnic. There is a lake at the top of the mountain although it’s pretty small. Nevertheless, you will be astonded with the scenery. It’s 100x better than Stone Mountain in my opinion :)

I can’t wait to get back here again. It’s basically Stone Mountain’s less touristy cousin. I am such a fan of the bike path and bike locking stations at the entrances to various paths. You can hike along rock, a wooded area, a creek with little waterfalls and bike all in the same place on the same day. It’s a great park. The maps online are very helpful and the trails marked well. I was slightly confused when I got a to huge open rock plateau… but I’m not a complete ditz so I was able to deduce that the little humps of rocks were the trail markers :-)
The bike trail goes a lot further outside of the Arabia Park are, down to Panola Mountain and I think it starts up in downtown Lithonia (whatever that means). Great trip, great views and a versatile option. You can cover as much or as little ground as you want, bike or don’t bike. Will be back soon.

What a beautiful area. My sisters and I walked the trail and detoured to the trail through the woods that led to the lake. It was beautiful, and surprisingly not infested with bugs. Make sure you follow the yellow marks (sometimes on trees, sometimes on markers) and you won’t go wrong.
Tip: Dress appropriately, AND BRING WATER.

Discovered Davidson Arabia Nature Preserve from a neighbor who kept posting pictures of this beautiful park that is apparently only 20 minutes from East Atlanta.
I feel like this is Stone Mountain’s lesser known and less crowded step child. It’s a really nice easy hike with lots of rock formations and the usual lake and trees to check out. Lots of dog walkers are out. It’s a nice 2 ½ mile loop, more of a walk than a hike.
Definitely recommend, but not to everyone, it’s charm is it’s not crowded!

If you’ve not caught a sunrise at Arabia Mountain, you must go. Dreamlike. Afterwards, stay and explore the park. It’s like none other.

I’ve been coming to Arabia Mountain for nearly 30 years. A lot has changed. Way back then, there was limited parking off the side of the road. There was graffiti everywhere… Someone actually painted the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven… That’s all gone and what is left is pure nature. Every time I go, I manage to see or find something I had not seen before. This park is large with plenty of hiking trails. There’s a pond on the other side of the main peaks. There are remnants of the quarry work that went on years ago. It’s a great place to go if you want to feel alone and isolated.
Arabia Mountain is older than Stone Mountain as it had formed, then re-​formed due to heat and pressure. Be sure to look closely for gobs of quartz and other minerals embedded in the granite.
Bring your dog, just be sure to keep it on a leash and clean up after.
Best nature value in the area.