Fork Knob Trail

Fork Knob Trail (log in to submit report)
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Park	Buffalo Mountain Park
Land Owner	Johnson City Parks & Rec
Located	Johnson City, TennesseeLocation inherited from associated park
Trail Marking	Blue
Trail UseThings allowed to do on or near the trail
FeaturesThings to see on or near the trail
Difficulty Rating	Medium
Hiking TimeTime from car and back. Includes any time hiking to access this trail.	30 min0.5 Hours <br />0.0313 Days <br /> round trip
Distance:	1.96 mi3.154 km <br /> trailStrict non-repeating trail length / 0.91 mi1.464 km <br /> round tripTypical or shortest length from the car, hike the trail, and return to car
Trail Type	Segment
Low / High Point	2,269 ft756.333 Yards <br />691.591 Meters <br /> / 3,177 ft1,059 Yards <br />968.35 Meters <br />
Elev. Gain/LossSee link for details of calculation. Gain/Loss is direction dependent.	956 ft291.389 Meters <br /> / (-54 ft-16.459 Meters <br />) – North-to-South
Trip ReportsFrom user "hiked it" submissions<br />Recent is within last 90 days	No hikes logged yet
NearbyWithin 5 mi<br />Click link to view list	9 trails / 8.9 mi of trail
Parking	36° 16' 43.14" N, 82° 20' 45.96" W Map
Trailhead	36° 16' 29.70" N, 82° 21' 3.60" W Map
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The Fork Knob Trail is in blue, while Cascade Trail and Fork Ridge Trail are both in black. The officially-unmaintained red connector is also shown.

Trail Overview

Located in Buffalo Mountain Park, this trail heads up to Fork Knob. Parts were in the May 2008 wildfire.

How to get there

Refer to the “How to get there” instructions on the Buffalo Mountain Park page. The trail can be reached from several places, including Hartsell Hollow and the picnic area.

Route Description

For this trail wiki, the blue-blazed Fork Knob Trail is shown mapped with the Ladyslipper Loop. From the Cascade Trail, take a left up the hill. A tee is reached where left is the Ladyslipper Loop while right continues up Fork Knob Trail. While two other side loops are shown on the JC park map, I did not see either while hiking. At the top is bench which is being considered the junction with Cascade Trail and Fork Ridge Trail.

Coming down the steep Fork Knob Trail is a different experience. The split is reached for Ladyslipper Loop right and left to continue on Fork Knob Trail. On Ladyslipper Loop, the turn back to Fork Knob Trail is not marked at all and path is narrow, thus most folks plunge downhill on the red connector shown on the map.

Typical Conditions

This trail was significantly impacted by the 2008 wildfire, thus now winds through the burn area. Be careful of the remaining small blowdowns and sharp dead rhododendron which are still falling across the trail. Briars are sprouting along the path.

The well-worn path is severely eroded in places, thus needs some water bars to direct the rainfall off the path.

Additional blazing is needed on the Ladyslipper Loop.

Fees, Permits, etc.

No fees or permits required.

Photos

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