Stone Mountain Park: Walk-Up and Cherokee Trails (Blog Hike #458)

Trails: Walk-Up and Cherokee Trails

Hike Location: Stone Mountain Park

Geographic Location: Stone Mountain, GA (33.81088, -84.16123)

Length: 6.7 miles

Difficulty: 10/10 (Difficult)

Date Hiked: March 2014

Overview: A long hike, steep in spots, first to the summit and then around the base of Stone Mountain.

Park Information: http://www.stonemountainpark.com/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=726321
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From I-285 on the east side of Atlanta, drive US 78 east 8 miles to the Stone Mountain Park exit (exit 8).  Exit and pay the admission fee to enter the park.  After entering the park, turn right on Robert E. Lee Boulevard, the main road around Stone Mountain.  Take Robert E. Lee Blvd. 1 mile to the parking area for Confederate Hall on the left.  Park here; the Walk-Up Trail starts behind Confederate Hall.

The hike: Of Georgia’s many natural icons, none are quite so iconic as Stone Mountain.  The granite monolith, located less than 20 miles from downtown Atlanta, rises over 800 feet above the surrounding area.  The mountain greets travelers along I-85 and US 78 north and east of Atlanta with a hearty, “You’re in Georgia now.”  In fact, the park is owned and operated by the State of Georgia.

            Most hiking guides shun Stone Mountain as a hiking destination due to its theme park atmosphere complete with rides, a high admission fee, and a Disney World-style entrance gate.  True, the park leaves much to be desired as a nature park, but there is no better way to see Stone Mountain than on foot.  (You could ride the tram to the top, but where’s the fun in that?)  The hike described here lets you see the mountain from every angle by starting with a steep climb to the mountain’s summit and then engaging in a hillier-than-you-might-expect journey around the mountain’s base.  I completed this hike on a warm spring day, and my legs were completely spent by day’s end.

Trailhead: Walk-Up Trail

            From the back of Confederate Hall, walk east to cross some railroad tracks and reach the signed trailhead.  These railroad tracks are only used by the park’s scenic railroad, but you should look and listen carefully for trains nonetheless.  You can probably find this trailhead by simply following the crowd: despite its difficulty, the Walk-Up Trail is the most popular trail in the heavily-used suburban park.

Flag plaza on Walk-Up Trail

             Immediately the trail heads onto the bare granite and begins climbing.  At only 0.1 miles, you pass the flag plaza bearing American, Georgia state, and Confederate flags on the right.  Soon you reach the first big rock step, a reminder of this area’s history as a quarry.  Look for drill marks in the stone.

The trail continues climbing as it goes back and forth between sunny open rock and stands of pine trees.  At 0.3 miles, you cross the Cherokee Trail, which goes right and left.  This hike will eventually use the Cherokee Trail going right, but for now press onward and upward on the Walk-Up Trail.

Halfway House

            The trail briefly follows the power line corridor that serves the Top of the Mountain Building at Stone Mountain’s summit.  At 0.6 miles, you reach the Halfway House, a shelter with several picnic tables.  The “Halfway House” is a bit of a misnomer: it is located nearly two-thirds of the way up the mountain in terms of distance or elevation.  However, the steepest areas are still to come, so I would call it even.

            Just past the Halfway House, the Walk-Up Trail exits the last pine grove and heads onto the sunny bare granite for good.  Make sure you follow the yellow dashed line marking the Walk-Up Trail and not the solid white line that marks the vehicle Safety Road.  The grade intensifies, and some metal railings have been installed to help hikers over the steepest areas.  On the bright side, views start to open up to the right and left.

Metal railings along Walk-Up Trail

            1 mile into the hike, you reach the bare-rock summit of Stone Mountain.  Three distinct clusters of tall buildings can be seen to the west: Midtown Atlanta lies to the left, Buckhead in the center, and Sandy Springs off to the right.  There is no telling what else you might see: birds in mid-flight, a jet flying below you, trains moving slowly along a railroad track.  Just be aware you will not be enjoying these sights alone: in addition to the traffic you walked up with, you will have to contend with people who rode the tram up.

Stone Mountain summit marker

Atlanta skyline, as seen from Stone Mountain

            There is only one trail to the summit, so after you admire the views you will have to head back down the way you came up.  Retrace your steps 0.7 miles to the Cherokee Trail (NOT all of the way back down to Confederate Hall), and then turn left to begin your trip around the mountain’s base.  Going downhill, the Cherokee Trail intersection is reached about 100 yards after passing Emergency Callbox #4.  There is also a stone marker and a white paint blaze on a pine tree to mark this intersection.

Turning onto the Cherokee Trail

            When you turn onto the Cherokee Trail, you leave the crowds behind and begin a more natural hiking experience.  The rock under the Walk-Up Trail has been scrubbed near-white by the passage of millions of feet, but the grey and pink hues in the rock become apparent on this lesser-trodden portion of the granite.  After crossing the Safety Road for the last time, the trail angles down across the bare rock guided by white blazes painted on the rock.  Be sure to wear shoes with good tread for this section of the hike, and I would not come this way if the rock was wet.

Cherokee Trail crossing bare rock

            At 2.2 miles, you reach the bottom of the mountain and leave the bare rock for a more traditional dirt treadway.  After crossing the railroad track for the second of four times, you reach a bench located near a reconstructed chimney.  Note that an orange-blazed trail that exits right here gives you your last chance to short-cut this hike before going around the mountain.

Trout lilies

            The white-blazed Cherokee Trail descends gradually as it heads southeast through some nice broadleaf forest.  Yellow trout lilies carpeted the forest floor on the mid-March afternoon that I hiked this trail.  2.7 miles into the hike, you cross Robert E. Lee Boulevard and pass around the children’s playground.  Next you cross the dam that creates Howell Lake, and views of the lake open up to the right before the trail turns sharply left at the south end of the dam.

            For the next 0.8 miles the trail assumes a rolling course with lots of up-and-down as it traces the south shore of Venable Lake.  Views of Stone Mountain across the lake open up sporadically to the left.  At 3.3 miles, you pass a waterfall on the right that glistens in the afternoon sun.

Stone Mountain behind Venable Lake

            3.6 miles into the hike, the trail curves left to cross a footbridge and then the dam that forms Venable Lake.  Note that the orange-blazed trail that continues straight here leads to the Evergreen Conference Center.  After crossing the dam, the trail turns right to begin following the rockier north/west shore of Stone Mountain Lake.  I spotted several waterfowl including a heron and a mallard along this section of trail.  Also, some rock outcrops provide excellent views of the lake.

            At 4.6 miles, you pass a covered bridge that has been moved to this site from Athens, GA.  This bridge still carries vehicles to and from Indian Island on the far side, so watch for cars as you cross the road near this bridge.  The trail now hugs very close to the lake shore to soon arrive at the park’s grist mill.  Like the bridge, this grist mill was moved to this site from elsewhere, Ellijay, GA in this case.  The mill no longer operates, but it occupies a scenic spot beside the lake.

Grist mill

            Contrary to your intuition, the trail crosses the wooden bridge to the mill and then begins following the mill’s stone race.  Just shy of 5 miles, you cross Robert E. Lee Blvd. for the second and final time.  For the next 0.6 miles the trail stays near a small stream as it heads for the developed area of the park.  After crossing the railroad track for a third time, you may see the Skyride tram whiz overhead.

            The trail passes near a maintenance area and comes out at the water feature in front of the Confederate Memorial Carving, a work of art on Stone Mountain’s nearly vertical north face.  Originally started by Gutzon Borglum of Mount Rushmore fame, the carving took more than 45 years and 4 sculptors to complete.  The carving features Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis on horseback; it is the largest bas relief sculpture in the world.  Photographing the carving is difficult on a sunny day because the sunlight coming over the top of the mountain makes for challenging lighting conditions.

Confederate Memorial Carving

            Past the sculpture, the wide dirt trail heads back into the woods.  After undulating somewhat, the trail climbs moderately to reenter the bare granite.  At 6.4 miles, just when the trail starts to climb in earnest, turn right on the orange-blazed connector trail to Confederate Hall, this hike’s final segment.  A little more rock treading returns you to the Walk-Up trailhead, thus completing the hike.