Hidden Atlanta

THE DETAILS LOCATION: 3350 Klondike Road in Lithonia, GA 30038 HOURS: Open 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. every day. PHONE NUMBER: 404-998-8384 WEBSITE: arabiaalliance.org

By Michelle Bourg I t’s been a long winter, and now you’re more than ready to get out, enjoy the spring weather and see something new. Just 20 miles from downtown Atlanta on I-20 in Lithonia is the perfect destination: the 2,550-acre Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, boasting some of the most unique and beautiful natural scenery in the state. Here, you can walk, hike or bike while taking in views of windswept stone fields, rare flowers, wetlands, lakes, stream-laced forests and two of Atlanta’s three granite monadnocks (stone outcroppings rising from a plain).

Along the more than 30 miles of trails, you’ll encounter a landscape that can seem as if it’s from another world.

Trails are open from dawn to dusk; leashed dogs are welcome and parking and trail access are free of charge.

Nine miles from Arabia Mountain, escape day-to-day life with a walk around the lakes and the renowned bonsai garden at the Mon astery of the Holy Spirit, being sure to take a moment at the soaring Gothic Abbey Church. Visitors can drive there or bicycle there since the trail leads to the monastery's parking lot. A number of educational programs and tours are available to help make the most of your visit to every part of the Heritage Area.

Whether you spend just a few hours or make a day of it, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area will satisfy your yen for adventure and inspire you for even more.