Lone Mountain State Forest
Encyclopedia
Lone Mountain State Forest is a state forest
in Morgan County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. The forest consists of 3624 acres (14.7 km²) managed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Lone Mountain is a detached ridge-like mountain rising to an elevation of 2530 feet (771.1 m) in the southern half of Morgan County. Although the mountain's altitude isn't particularly notable, its isolation makes it one of the 25 most prominent mountains in the state of Tennessee.
, which rise atop the Cumberland Plateau
just west of the plateau's Walden Ridge
escarpment. The mountain's western base is formed by the Emory River
, which flows down from its source near the summit of Bird Mountain to the northeast and winds around the base of the range before descending the plateau and emptying into the Watts Bar Lake
impoundment of the Tennessee River
. Lone Mountain's northern base is formed by Crooked Fork, a tributary of the Emory. Bitter Creek, which flows roughly parallel to the Emory, slices a substantial valley along Lone Mountain's eastern base, splitting the mountain off from the rest of the Crab Orchard range.
Lone Mountain spans much of the stretch of U.S. Route 27
between Harriman
and Wartburg
. The community of Mossy Grove is situated at the mountain's eastern base in the Bitter Creek valley.
In 2002, a tornado swept across Morgan County, devastating the community of Mossy Grove and wiping out some 500 acres (2 km²) of trees in Lone Mountain State Forest. The tornado caused the closure of the Carl Black Spur trail which remains closed as of 2008. Forestry officials plan to have the Carl Black Spur trail open for the public again soon. The tornado opened up the opportunity for a new trail aptly named Twister Pass which runs from the South West trail up to Todds Landing. Southern pine beetle
infestations in the 1970s and 1990s killed off a large number of the forest's pine trees, leaving mostly hardwoods.
State forest
A state forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign state.The precise application of the term varies by jurisdiction...
in Morgan County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. The forest consists of 3624 acres (14.7 km²) managed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Lone Mountain is a detached ridge-like mountain rising to an elevation of 2530 feet (771.1 m) in the southern half of Morgan County. Although the mountain's altitude isn't particularly notable, its isolation makes it one of the 25 most prominent mountains in the state of Tennessee.
Geographical setting
Lone Mountain is located on the western fringe of the Crab Orchard MountainsCrab Orchard Mountains
The Crab Orchard Mountains are a rugged, detached range of the southern Cumberland Mountains. They are situated in East Tennessee atop the Cumberland Plateau just west of the plateau's eastern escarpment, and comprise parts of Morgan, Anderson, and Cumberland counties. The Crab Orchard Mountains...
, which rise atop the Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
just west of the plateau's Walden Ridge
Walden Ridge
Walden Ridge is a mountain ridge and escarpment located in Tennessee, in the United States. It marks the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau and is generally considered part of it. Walden Ridge is about long, running generally north-south...
escarpment. The mountain's western base is formed by the Emory River
Emory River
The Emory River is a stream draining a portion of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau.-Hydrography:The Emory River rises on the slopes of Frozen Head and Bird Mountain, prominent peaks in that part of the Cumberland Plateau in Morgan County, Tennessee. Frozen Head is the focus of a Tennessee state park...
, which flows down from its source near the summit of Bird Mountain to the northeast and winds around the base of the range before descending the plateau and emptying into the Watts Bar Lake
Watts Bar Lake
Watts Bar Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River created by Watts Bar Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority system.-Geography:Located about midway between Chattanooga and Knoxville, the lake begins as the Tennessee River below Fort Loudon Dam in Lenoir City, Tennessee and stretches...
impoundment of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. Lone Mountain's northern base is formed by Crooked Fork, a tributary of the Emory. Bitter Creek, which flows roughly parallel to the Emory, slices a substantial valley along Lone Mountain's eastern base, splitting the mountain off from the rest of the Crab Orchard range.
Lone Mountain spans much of the stretch of U.S. Route 27
U.S. Route 27
U.S. Route 27 is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne, Indiana...
between Harriman
Harriman, Tennessee
Harriman is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, primarily in Roane County, with a small extension into Morgan County. It is the principal city of and is included in the Harriman Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Roane County and is a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La...
and Wartburg
Wartburg, Tennessee
Wartburg is a city in Morgan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 890 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County.-Geography:...
. The community of Mossy Grove is situated at the mountain's eastern base in the Bitter Creek valley.
History
Lone Mountain State Forest was created from a land donation by the Lone Mountain Land Company in 1938 and a large land purchase by the Morgan County Chancery Court the following year. Lone Mountain was managed as part of Morgan State Forest until 1970, when it became an independent state forest. The State Forestry Division managed Lone Mountain with a "hands-off" approach to allow the forest to recover from damage caused by the Lone Mountain Land Company. Timber harvests within the forest are therefore relatively rare.In 2002, a tornado swept across Morgan County, devastating the community of Mossy Grove and wiping out some 500 acres (2 km²) of trees in Lone Mountain State Forest. The tornado caused the closure of the Carl Black Spur trail which remains closed as of 2008. Forestry officials plan to have the Carl Black Spur trail open for the public again soon. The tornado opened up the opportunity for a new trail aptly named Twister Pass which runs from the South West trail up to Todds Landing. Southern pine beetle
Dendroctonus frontalis
Dendroctonus frontalis, the southern pine beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of southern United States, Mexico and Central America. It has a hard reddish brown to black exoskeleton and measures approximately , about the size of a grain of rice...
infestations in the 1970s and 1990s killed off a large number of the forest's pine trees, leaving mostly hardwoods.
Features
Lone Mountain has approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) of trails, the most popular of which leads to Coyote Point, an overlook just below the summit on the south slope of the mountain. The trails were developed in the late 1980s for horseback riding, and are well-equipped with watering holes and hitching posts. The trails are also open to hikers and mountain bikers. The trailhead is located just west of US-27 along Clayton Howard Road.External links
- Lone Mountain State Forest Trail Map — provided by TennesseeOutdoorsman.com
- East Tennessee Mountain Bike Rides - Lone Mountain — contains trail information and a trail map
