Escape Bustling Atlanta In This Nearby Georgia National Preserve With Otherworldly Hiking Trails

Atlanta's got it all: diverse neighborhoods to explore, one of America's top-rated botanical gardens, the World of Coca-Cola museum, and the largest aquarium in the United States. It's also got plenty of places nearby where you can escape the crowds and explore nature. One of those is the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, a 40,000-acre nature preserve about 20 miles from downtown. Here, you'll find a landscape that appears as if it should be on another planet, not right outside this metropolis in the South. 

Arabia Mountain is what's called a "monadnock," a hill of rock protruding out of an otherwise flat terrain. Its structure has formed over the last 400 million years as the land surrounding it gradually eroded. Visitors can walk along its large expanses of exposed granite and gneiss, a type of metamorphic rock featuring distinct layering. Many report feeling as if they're walking on Mars, or like they traveled back to prehistoric times. 

Little vegetation thrives in this rocky environment, except for a few species that grow in "solution pits" — shallow patches of water and soil that collect in depressions in the granite. In spring, visitors are treated to a visual feast as striking red plants called diamorpha spread out in blankets over the rocks and sprout small, white flowers. In fall, bright yellow daisies carpet the sides of the mountain. 

You can hike dozens of miles of paved and unpaved trails winding through the rocky terrain and weaving in and out of pine and hardwood forests at Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. Top Trail, as its name implies, takes you to the top of Arabia Mountain. It's a moderate climb of about half a mile to reach the summit, where you'll be rewarded with 360-degree views across the granite expanse and surrounding forests. On a clear day, you can even catch a glimpse of the distant Atlanta skyline. 

The 2.3-mile Arabia Mountain View Trail is another popular hike, and a good option if you don't feel like climbing, since it winds its way around the mountain's lower elevations. Along this path, you'll enjoy mountain views, wander through peaceful pine and hardwood forests surrounding the mountain, and observe diverse plant life. If you're up for more distance, you can check out the 5.1-mile Klondike Boardwalk Trail, a moderately challenging hike that traverses sections of boardwalk and expanses of granite while affording stunning views of the mountain and Arabia Lake. 

Know before you go: The park is open dawn to dusk year-round, and it's free to enter. Dogs are allowed as long as they are kept on leash. If you want to spend the night in the park, a limited number of primitive campsites are available by reservation. After exploring Arabia Mountain, visit the hugely popular Stone Mountain — another monadnock in the Atlanta area.