Description
Stone Mountain is a granite dome monadnock located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. At its summit, the elevation is 1,683 feet (513 m) amsl and 825 feet (251.5 m) above the surrounding plateau. The mountain extends underground to several surrounding counties. While Stone Mountain is the largest exposed granite ’stone’ in the world in terms of overall exposed granite, it is only about one quarter the height of El Capitan in Yosemite (3,000 feet above valley level), the tallest known exposed granite monolith on earth. Stone Mountain is well-known not only for its geology, but also for the enormous bas-relief on its north face, the largest bas-relief in the world. Three figures of the Confederate States of America are carved there: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis.
The mountain is more than five miles (8 km) in circumference at its base. The summit of the mountain can be reached by a steep walkup trail, which starts near the Confederate Hall and park entrance. Alternatively, the summit can be reached by the Skylift.
The top of the mountain is a surreal landscape of bare rock and rock pools, and it provides views of the surrounding area and the skyline of downtown Atlanta, often Kennesaw Mountain, and on very clear days even the Appalachian Mountains. On some days, however, the top of the mountain is covered in a heavy fog, and visibility can be limited to only a few feet. It is not uncommon during the summer months to find the downtown skyline almost completely obscured by smog. The clear freshwater pools of the summit are formed by rainwater gathering in eroded depressions, and are home to unusual clam shrimp and fairy shrimp. The tiny shrimp appear only during the rainy season, and it is believed that the adult shrimp die when the pools dry up, leaving behind eggs to survive until the next rains.
The mountain’s lower slopes are wooded. The rare Georgia oak was first discovered at the summit, and several specimens can easily be found along the walk-up trail and in the woods around the base of the mountain. In the fall, the extremely rare Confederate Yellow Daisy (Viguiera Porteri) flowers on the mountain, growing in rock crevices and in the large wooded areas.
Elevation 1,683 feet (513 m)
Location Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA
Range None
Prominence 825 ft (251 m)
Coordinates 33°48′21.40″N 84°8′43.52″W
Stone Mountain Park is easy to find. It is located just 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta on US Highway 78. Just take exit 39 B off Interstate 285 and follow Highway 78 east for 8 miles. The main entrance for Stone Mountain Park is exit 8 off of Highway 78.
MapQuest.com map of the Stone Mountain area.