Stone Mountain Monadnock Ramble

Hike Summary   This will be the LONG version of Stone Mountain, with the ascent and circuit around the mountain and lakes, and a great view of the North side. 

We'll meet at Confedrate Headquarters bathrooms, then head up to the summit, take a quick look around, then head back to the bathrooms. If you are tentative on the Stone Mountain slabs, we will have a partial ascent option if you wish. The we'll start a clockwise loop around Cherokee Trail and lots of good conversation. 

If we have time and energy, we'll cross the covered bridge for a quick tour of the picnic grounds on Indian Island.  Then, we'll head across the land bridge to the south side of the lake, and bring it in through the nature trail and under the old rail connector.

We are allowing 3.5 hours for this hike and the heat, though we may finish earlier.

NOTE:  If rapid sign-up overloads the website and we get more than 20 hikers, we may have to move some people to the waiting list.  We are initially setting the limit to 16 then increasing it to 20 to avoid disappointments.  Thank you for your patience.

We will have a leader and sweep, though you are welcome to lead or lag as long as you don't lose contact with the group. Always check in at intersections.

We'll gather for the Hike at the "Walk-Up Trailhead" inside Stone Mtn Park (our "usual" gathering spot for most AOC Stone Mtn hikes).  It's beside the stone restroom building which is about 75 yards toward the mountain from Confederate Hall.  GPS users can enter this concise Lat/Lon as your destination address, being sure to include the comma and minus sign: 33.8107,-84.1617
For a zoomable map or satellite view of this gathering spot click the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.

Directions and Parking Fees for Hikers who Prefer Driving into the Park:  The main entrance into the Park is the "East Gate" which has its own special "Exit #8" from the Stone Mtn Freeway.   Visitors who drive into the Park must purchase and display a valid Parking Pass: The current price is $20 per vehicle for a daily pass or $40 per vehicle for an annual pass, available from the entrance gate attendants - also online.
  Assuming that you drive in via the East Gate, take Jefferson Davis Drive straight ahead for 1 mile and bear right at the big 3-way junction.  Continue via Robt. E. Lee Blvd another 1.1 mile to Confederate Hall (on your left, avoiding the Park's "West Gate" exit at the 1-mile point).  Just past the Hall turn Left into its large Parking Lot and park there.  Then walk a few yards toward the mountain to the above-discussed gathering spot/ trailhead.

Optional Free Parking in nearby Stone Mtn Village and "Walk-In" Directions:  Park visitors are welcome to take advantage of the always-free Park admission for pedestrians and bicyclists.  There are normally plenty of free parking spots available about 0.5 mile outside the "West" Park entrance in the quaint old village of Stone Mountain.  

For example, on weekends the Suntrust Bank is closed and there is usually space in its free parking lot, at 5399 E Mountain St, Stone Mountain, GA 30083 (corner of 2nd Street). GPS and Maps.Google.com/ users can enter "Suntrust Mountain St GA" as your destination.  On all days of the week free public parking is usually available near the E Main St / Mountain St traffic light, esp. in the vicinity of the Village's old train station and white gazebo.
To walk (or ride your bike) from Stone Mtn Village to our AOC meetup spot inside Park near Confederate Hall:  Proceed eastward via the Mountain Street sidewalk and enter the Park via the narrow steel pedestrian gate. Continue straight ahead to the restroom building on the far side of the large parking lot (~75 yards beyond Confederate Hall on your left).  Although the narrow pedestrian gate is normally locked at night, hikers and cyclists can enter/exit the Park 24-7 at no charge via the nearby "West Gate" (mentioned above for drivers).

Another Parking spot (28 spaces) is on the N side of the Stone Mountain Police Department on Main St, then taking the Stone Mtn Trail into the park, and turning N on Robert E Lee Blvd to the parking area and the bathrooms. (0.7 mi from bathrooms) 

The formation of Stone Mountain is one of many geologic "monadnocks", or lone mountains in the southeast. They are ancient cores to magma upwellings that cooled deep underground over 300 million years ago. You can see the sloping of the cooled upwelling rock from flat top to steep sides. Table Rock and Pinnacle Mountain in SC, and Whiteside Mountain in NC are other prominent monadnocks.  The term comes from the original "Mount Monadnock" in Southern New Hampshire.

Fifty bonus points if you can spell monadnock at the beginning of the hike!

We know their age from radio-isotopic decay dating, which never varies no matter what molecule, crystal or temperature the atom is bonded. I was an oceanographer and soil scientist in my first career, so feel free to ask questions about isotopes and how they are used. They can track natural processes of different durations, from minutes, days, weeks, years or centuries, and much, much longer, depending on half life. Isotopes can be used as clocks or fingerprints in Earth Science, and they are a fantastic tool.

As always, if anyone wishes to improve their map and terraine reading skills, I'm happy to give some simple coaching and examples.  Knowing where you are and where you are going is fun, and most people can grasp it with practice.