A view of Lamance Falls from the top looking upstream. The large rock can now be seen from behind.

This is the relocated House Mountain fire tower. The last time I saw it on House Mountain it had vultures roosting in it!

The parking area for the hiking trails is found across the road from the forestry office.

A brilliant Red Maple leaf.

Pine beetles have killed a lot of trees in the forest. This is the inside of a piece of bark from a dead tree. The tiny bark beetles burrow into the bark of a live pine tree and lay their eggs in little grooves. The larvae eat the cambium cells under the bark, which kills the tree. These marks are made from the larvae.

There is only one stream crossing on the trail. It has a narrow log "bridge" which can be a challenge to cross.

A view of Lamance Falls from stream level.

This Fire Tower was moved from House Mountain in east Knoxville to the Lone Mountain State Forest headquarters. It is considerably shorter than its' original height!

Coyote Point - the "reward" at the end of the 4-mile trail. On a clear day you can see the Smokies to the south, the Cumberland Mountains to the east, and the Cumberland plateau to the west. Be sure to look for the 3 large wind turbines on Buffalo Mountain.

A dense "carpet" of Moss.

The trail to Coyote Point is shared by horses and mountain bikes. Avoid this trail if a bike race is going on. Also, find out if hunters may be in the area during hunting season.

On the evening of November 10, 2002 a devastating F3 tornado roared down from Lone Mountain severely damaging or completely destroying many homes and businesses in Mossy Grove. Several lives were lost to the freak storm. It is quite rare for tornadoes to hit in the mountains of East Tennessee; people will no longer feel protected by their beautiful mountains. These trees show the beginning of the storm's devastating path.

Lamance Falls

. The falls are down a very rough backroad, a vehicle with high clearance or 4-wheel drive is recommended. We had last been to this waterfall in 1982, with our then 2-year old son. I was in awe of the waterfall, but a nervous wreck having an active toddler in that area! I would love to know the story behind how that huge rock downstream ended up standing in a vertical position! It must have been one heck of a flood to move it from the top of the falls!

Lone Mountain Trailhead

Lone Mountain viewed from Petit Lane Lone Mountain State Forest is located on Hwy. 27 overlooking the community of Mossy Grove in Morgan County. A 4-mile hiking/biking/horse trail goes to Coyote Point, a beautiful overlook seen on the left side of this photo.

Sourwood leaves on a crisp November day.

Hickory nut shells on a rock from a squirrel's picnic.

There are beautiful views of the Cumberland Mountains from many parts of the trail. This area has been cut to remove dead pine trees.

Horses must enjoy taking a long, cool drink from this little pond on a hot summer day. It is a good place to look for frogs!

Lounge Rock is a large boulder near the trail at the top of the ridge.

A little farther up the trail you'll come upon the Rankin Spring house. The water is murky and not good for drinking.

Kris and Ken enjoying a lunch break on Coyote Point.