Jackie Steffan — 3.7 miles — Moderate/ Hard — 1.5 hours —
I’m always looking for a hike close to Johnson City, so I was pleased when I stumbled upon the Lone Oak Trail. The trail is located on the backside of Buffalo Mountain and gives hikers a different view from the mountain. You will eventually hike to Tip Top in Buffalo Mountain Park. From there, hikers can take the Tip Top trail and access most of the other trails on Buffalo Mountain (not included in the mileage).
About 0.25 miles in, you will find a sign dedicating the Lone Oak Trail to A.T. Dosser III. A.T. was pivotal in creating and maintaining the trail along with others on Buffalo Mountain. It was a good reminder to thank your local trail maintainers for the hard work they put in so we can safely enjoy our hikes.
We did this hike in late July. We were surprised by hundreds of mushrooms along the trail! There were many different shapes, sizes, and textures. Pointing out the mushrooms was a good distraction from the large elevation gains associated with this hike!
Getting There
From I-26:
- Take Exit 24 (University Pkwy) towards Johnson City
- In 0.9 mi, turn left on Cherokee Rd
- After 1.6 mi, turn left on Triangle Rd
- After 0.6 mi, turn left onto Lone Oak Rd
- The trailhead will be about 1.1 mi down the road on the left (clear road signage on the right)
- There is a small parking area past the trailhead on the right that will fit 4-5 cars.
The Hike
From the parking area, you will need to walk down the road a short distance and cross to the other side. There is a road sign clearly indicating the trailhead on the opposite side of the street.
The Lone Oak Trail starts off fairly steep and does not give up until you get to the end. The average grade is 13% so make sure you bring enough water! The beginning of the trail follows a creek and eventually you will see the trail dedication sign and a series of small waterfalls.
Once you get to the creek, you follow it for a short distance before the trail turns sharply to the left. The trail will quickly gain elevation as you maneuver through a series of many switchbacks. There are some really pretty views on the right side of the trail as you are going up. It was very humid the morning we hiked, so the valley trapped the clouds, making it hard to see the views. On a clear day, the trail would provide some really incredible views of Johnson City and the surrounding mountains.
After you finish the switchbacks, a sign for a small picnic area will greet you. If you are feeling tired, this is a good place to stop, rest, and get some water. There are no views, so if you are still feeling good, I would recommend staying on the trail and continuing to Tip Top.
The switchbacks end at this point and the trail continues up and around the mountain. Take some time to enjoy the wildflowers and views as you continue on. There was a fire on this section of the mountain in 2008. Most of the vegetation has grown back, but there are still some charred trees if you are looking for them.
After about another mile, you will reach Tip Top. There is a large clearing with a picnic table and a bench. While you don’t get sweeping 360° views, you do get some good views of the surrounding mountains through the trees. Its a good place to catch your breath and have a snack after the climb you just finished. Once you are ready, head back down the way you came and make your way back to the parking area. The hike down is always easier than the way up!
The trail is narrow, so when we passed other hikers, it was a tight squeeze. We only passed two other groups, so this was not an issue. It appeared that this is a lesser known trail, so there were no issues finding parking or with passing other groups.
See Buffalo Mountain Park post for more hikes in this area.
