10th Annual Monadnock Madness Underway
The 10th and final Monadnock Madness is underway! You can get out and explore Georgia’s granite giants – Arabia, Panola, and Kennesaw Mountains – through the Triple Hike Challenge, guided ranger programs, nature photography workshops and mountaintop yoga.
A “monadnock” is a large geologic formation that has remained static as the ground has eroded around it – Arabia, Kennesaw and Panola Mountains are all three examples of this geologic formation. These metro-Atlanta mountains support a variety of rare and beautiful plant species, including diamorpha, atamasco lily, trout lily and others, that all bloom during the spring. Sandy divots in the rock face, called “solution pits,” host a variety of this vibrant plant life, which grows more colorful as the month progresses. The Monadnock Madness event celebrates these ecosystems and the life that lives there as spring unfolds. Click here for hiking tips.
The online passport for the Triple Hike Challenge is now live. To complete the Triple Hike Challenge, participants visit Arabia, Panola and Kennesaw Mountains, taking a photo (preferably a selfie) on the trails. Then, once they are done hiking, hikers upload the images to an online passport located at monadnockmadness.com. When they have sent in the passport, they earn their prize.
Monadnock Madness highlights for this year include the following guided activities:
Photography Workshops – March 12th and 20th; tickets $15. Sign up here.
Yoga & Mindfulness Workshops – March 13th and 27th; tickets $25. Sign up here.
Other Guided Events – Throughout the month, park rangers will lead guided hikes, history tours, educational classes, volunteer opportunities and more. For a full list of available programs, head over to our full Monadnock Madness events list.
Monadnock Madness is presented by the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance in partnership with DeKalb County’s Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, Panola Mountain State Park, and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Special thanks to our partners, instructors and program participants.
Photo at top: Alan Cressler