We love Stone Mountain Park and six year-old Eli has frequently been to the top of the granite monolithic dome (monadnock) via the cable car. On a clear day, you can see for sixty miles! Yet we've been itching to take the hiking trail up the back and climb it ourselves. The path is well-marked and only a mile each way, yet it rises 786 feet (240 meters) to an elevation of 1,868 feet (569 meters) above sea level. We figured cool weather would be best and it is Spring Break this week, so even though some haze and clouds would mostly hide the view of the Atlanta skyline, we decided to go for it.
If you go, don't forget to stop at the interpretive center at the bottom for a climber's certificate!
One Mama's Two Cents:
On the way back down the mountain, Eli asked if we could come back tomorrow. We had a blast! Before climbing, Eli and I talked about challenges and accomplishments, about how you can feel proud of doing difficult things. He seemed to understand the spirit of the undertaking; although the way was tough, he never complained and never wavered. It was fun to see his pride in the venture. We will definitely make the trip again soon.
I've gotten questions from my mama friends about the trek, so I wanted to share some details. Getting into the park is $15 per car and there are places to purchase food, water, etc. in the park. Check the park's calendar for details. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the park's shops and restaurants are usually open, but the rest of the year it depends on the day of the week. There is a parking lot at the bottom of the walk-up trail complete with bathrooms and an interpretive center. (Fantastic hands-on geology museum!) The walking trail is always open and hikers decide for themselves if the conditions are right for climbing.
We got up and down without any problems, but it truly is rough terrain -- steep slopes but also very uneven rocky trails rife with loose gravel, mossy slick patches, and soggy areas of thick mud and standing water. The day we went up, it was supposed to just be cloudy, but we got a little rain. It was scary how much slicker the rocks became (especially on the way down), so our next trip will definitely be when there hasn't been rain in a few days and the chance of rain is at 0%. When it comes to wet rocks, the descent is the scariest part. In case of unexpected rain, it would probably be best to finish the climb up and then take the cable car back down. ($6 plus tax one way.) It is 1.1 miles of sidewalk from the cablecar landing pad back to the hiking trail parking lot.
A sport stroller would be absolutely impossible. We saw some folks making the trip with wee ones in hiking backpacks and baby carriers, but I think you'd want to be practiced and confident before doing this trail. As for children doing the trip themselves, we saw other kiddos climbing and also having great fun. The kids we saw seemed Eli's age (6) or older. I wouldn't want to make the trip with a child who won't follow directions, though. It would not be a safe place for a kid to wander off or insist on running and there were places where I felt Eli needed to be right beside me or hold my hand. Especially on the descent, if a kid isn't careful, there are spots where falling down would mean rolling and tumbling across bare rock. Sturdy, closed-toe shoes are a must. And I imagine there has been many a skinned knee on this trail, so I wouldn't travel it without a small first aid kit. For big emergencies, there are call boxes periodically along the trail and my cell phone got good service throughout (Verizon).
Taking the trip slow and being prepared made all the difference for us on the climb. Park signs say the trip is a half hour each way, but we spent about two and a half hours enjoying the path and taking breaks whenever we wanted. We carried water and snacks but agreed that a picnic would be more fun next time. (About halfway up there is a covered shelter with picnic tables. There is no water or bathrooms available on the trail, but there is a snack bar as well as a gift shop and bathrooms at the top.) Eli took a small pair of binoculars on a break-away cord and he enjoyed them immensely. If you're taking time out to play, some action figures, Lego people, or tiny dolls would be great as there are a million mossy stone crevices to become whole new worlds and landscapes.
Interpretive center model of Stone Mountain: The hiking trail goes up the spine of the mountain along the bare line you see below. The tiny blue oval below the dome on the left side is the reflecting pool below the carved sculpture. The cable cars go up the dome just above this pool.
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