Parking at Arabia Mountain
Parking has been crowded at Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve on the weekends. The outdoors has become a welcome respite for people during the pandemic, and we love that people are coming out and enjoying the National Heritage Area. The two main lots (the AWARE lot at 4158 Klondike Road and the Nature Center lot at 3787 Klondike Road) get full very quickly, and the Rangers will open up overflow parking on Rockland Road as needed. Here are a few other places you can park that allow you to see sights you might not have visited otherwise.
Also, please note that the Nature Preserve is most crowded on the weekends. We encourage people to come on the weekdays instead in order to avoid crowds.
All trailheads are connected by the Arabia Mountain PATH trail system.
Right by the mountain:
1. Vaughters’ Farm Lot (3366 Klondike Road) Just up the road from the Nature Center, Vaughters’ Farm is one of the last dairy farm landscapes remaining in DeKalb County, though it was once the state’s capital of dairy farming.
2. Polebridge Trailhead (6262 Browns Mill Road) This is another trailhead with easy access to the beautiful forests of the Nature Preserve.
3. Rockland Road Overflow Lot (6715 Rockland Road)
Located just north of the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center, the Rockland Road overflow has been opened recently to accommodate the increase in visitation. From I-20 , take the Evans Mill Exit and make a right onto Woodrow Rd., keep straight till it dead ends into Klondike Rd., once on Klondike Rd. continue to the roundabout and make the first exit onto Rockland Rd. and at the field there will be an overflow parking sign where the overflow lot is located.
From HWY 212, take a right on Klondike Rd. then keep straight till you get to the roundabout, once at the roundabout make the third exit onto Rockland Rd. and keep straight till you see the field with the overflow lot sign in it, and that is where the overflow parking is located.
A little further off:
4. Lyon Farm Trailhead (4431 Lyons Road; Park in the cul-de-sac) The Lyon Farm is the oldest homestead in DeKalb County and a key part of the history of the Flat Rock community.
5. South Rockdale Community Park (3909 East Fairview Road SW) Another connection point to the paved Arabia Mountain PATH trail, the South Rockdale Community Park includes trails that run through forest and along the South River.
Check out some more of our parking areas here. See you on the trails!