Huckleberry Knob: Buffalo Mountain, Johnson City, TN.
A quick nature fix. Water play option. Look down on our town.
The Hike: This is our go-to hike if we only have an hour or two and just want to smell the nature smell, look for a salamander, or let the kids pitch a few rocks in a stream. Sometimes we take visiting friends or family to give them a bird's eye view of our town. It's also a perfect group hike (as we did on International Women's Day see left) because it is not TOO UP, and it can be short or super short (see below). If you live on the south side of Johnson City, it is an under-10 minute drive.
Huckleberry Knob is located in Buffalo Mountain Park, a 725-acre natural resource area owned by the City (of Johnson City). It is mostly densely wooded with a single service road (not accessible) and dozens of hiking trails, some very steep, and some with great vistas of Roan Mountain. Huckleberry offers views of Johnson City and, on a clear day looking left down the mountain range, you can see the Smokies in the far distance.
Directions: Take I-26 to University Parkway (Exit 24) and go left on University Parkway toward ETSU/Johnson City. At Cherokee Road (3rd traffic light), go left. Take almost immediate left onto Buffalo Road, which passes through the golf course. Within a mile or so, go right onto Rolling Hills Drive, which continues for a few miles, under a concrete tunnel (our kids always make us blow the horn). Take the next right, on Highridge Road, which heads up into the park. On cold wintry days, but also quite without reason, the gate will sometimes be locked. If that happens, you can park outside the gate and hike an extra 1/2 mile or so on the road. But, assuming the gates are open, there are two options. For a short, .3 mile one-way to the Knob, enter the park and stay on the paved road as it turns right and runs up a steep hill to a loop and parking. You will see a trail map/information kiosk at the well-marked trail entrance. For a longer hike with the awesomeness of water in it, go left at the split after the park entrance, and park in the gravel lot. There is a kiosk there as well, and the trail heads down to a small stream. From here to the Knob is a little over a half mile. Follow the trail as it winds along and across the stream. There is one tricky crossing if the water is high - if not you can step on stones no problem. At .15 miles, with the stream on your right, you will cross a 3rd time and begin walking up switchbacks. Bear left at all the Ys, but if you don't you will just do a tiny bit more walking to get to the top. For more information and a park trail map, go to http://www.johnsoncitytn.org/parksrec/facilities/
left: one night in 2016 after the 6th grade orchestra concert, we walked up to Huckleberry Knob instead of going out for ice cream cr. Julian Jones
A quick nature fix. Water play option. Look down on our town.
The Hike: This is our go-to hike if we only have an hour or two and just want to smell the nature smell, look for a salamander, or let the kids pitch a few rocks in a stream. Sometimes we take visiting friends or family to give them a bird's eye view of our town. It's also a perfect group hike (as we did on International Women's Day see left) because it is not TOO UP, and it can be short or super short (see below). If you live on the south side of Johnson City, it is an under-10 minute drive.
Huckleberry Knob is located in Buffalo Mountain Park, a 725-acre natural resource area owned by the City (of Johnson City). It is mostly densely wooded with a single service road (not accessible) and dozens of hiking trails, some very steep, and some with great vistas of Roan Mountain. Huckleberry offers views of Johnson City and, on a clear day looking left down the mountain range, you can see the Smokies in the far distance.
Directions: Take I-26 to University Parkway (Exit 24) and go left on University Parkway toward ETSU/Johnson City. At Cherokee Road (3rd traffic light), go left. Take almost immediate left onto Buffalo Road, which passes through the golf course. Within a mile or so, go right onto Rolling Hills Drive, which continues for a few miles, under a concrete tunnel (our kids always make us blow the horn). Take the next right, on Highridge Road, which heads up into the park. On cold wintry days, but also quite without reason, the gate will sometimes be locked. If that happens, you can park outside the gate and hike an extra 1/2 mile or so on the road. But, assuming the gates are open, there are two options. For a short, .3 mile one-way to the Knob, enter the park and stay on the paved road as it turns right and runs up a steep hill to a loop and parking. You will see a trail map/information kiosk at the well-marked trail entrance. For a longer hike with the awesomeness of water in it, go left at the split after the park entrance, and park in the gravel lot. There is a kiosk there as well, and the trail heads down to a small stream. From here to the Knob is a little over a half mile. Follow the trail as it winds along and across the stream. There is one tricky crossing if the water is high - if not you can step on stones no problem. At .15 miles, with the stream on your right, you will cross a 3rd time and begin walking up switchbacks. Bear left at all the Ys, but if you don't you will just do a tiny bit more walking to get to the top. For more information and a park trail map, go to http://www.johnsoncitytn.org/parksrec/facilities/
left: one night in 2016 after the 6th grade orchestra concert, we walked up to Huckleberry Knob instead of going out for ice cream cr. Julian Jones
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