Tackett Creek Autumn 2026 Part 2

 

above:  bright red leaves along the ridge of Pine Mountain

Tackett Creek Autumn 2026 Part 2

Halloween Sat. 10/31/2026

Dana & Kenny Koogler 

60 mile ride 

Photos are HERE 

***The majority of the time I post trip reports in the order the trips were done.  I am going against that this time in order to get Part 2 of this out in a timely fashion.   ** 

  Tackett Creek Autumn 2026 Part 1 Link HERE 

    We visited Tackett Creek for the first time in Autumn on Sunday Oct. 11, 2026 with our grandson.

We decided we had to make a return trip to see and do the things we hadn't accomplished yet. We also craved seeing the beautiful Fall colors.    We set out early Saturday morning as it is a long drive up.

    Passing through the area just outside Lafollette we saw a coal train!  It was a great start to what promised to be a fine day.  The weather was cool and comfortable and the skies clear.   

Below is a short clip of the coal  train. 

   We drove through Duff and found that the parking lot on the right has been expanded and improved. It is well graveled now instead of one big standing mud hole.   It's worth mentioning that we parked next to a ranger vehicle for JPW Cumberland Trail State Park.  He's out four wheeling with the rest of us patrolling. Probably to make sure people take the Foot Travel Only signs and gates seriously.  I'd love to have sat back and watched. Had that been me I'd have been grinning and saying "Y'all thought I'se jest kiddin', didn't ya?"   All these internet renegades with their big talk about the gates/rules aren't stopping them.  Easy enough to say from behind a computer screen or a phone screen.   They ain't playin. 

Below: two photos of the state park ranger's rig 

    Despite our good, early start we felt like we were still a little bit behind the Eight Ball. 

Kenny said he was going to run the road out to the trail up at Primroy instead of going the longer way round.   We arrived and got started around 10:30 am which isn't bad.  

    We went up the road and turned off on the trail.  It is a long, rough hill climb to reach the Ridge Trail.  Consequently we skipped Primroy Arch and Drive In Triple as we have been to those a bunch.    It wasn't too long until we came to V Notch. It was not nearly as bad as I recalled.

A lot of that has to do with the fact we're doing it in a RZR with more power and very aggressive tires this time.   All these years of wheeling and Kenny knows what it takes  so he keeps the machine humming.     

Below: Looking at the trail where it drops over V Notch. The photo cannot show how it is, but there is a video included that does. 

         

Above: first photo taken of the glory of these colorful woods today! 

Above: Red Dirt.  My favorite! 

 Below is a short video clip of going over V Notch 

  I had been on the Ridge Trail once before. Kenny has done it multiple times over the years.  

First time for us in peak Fall color though.  We were astonished that on a Saturday we did not encounter a single other rider until hours later. No one but us on this popular trail.   The only thing I could guess was that Halloween festivities had people occupied.  We did see one large group of riders as we were leaving.   Maybe folks were planning night time rides for Halloween?    It was nice not to be rushed or held up by lines of fellow riders on that narrow trail.   I had only ridden it from about midway out to Frakes. We came up a side trail that is used now and then.   All of it is good.  I was happy to see it all today.  

Below is a series of photos I snapped along the first part of the trail.  It was eye candy today. All the tones, colors, textures. 

     

            One of the best parts of riding this ridge trail is Kenny showed me a cool overlook. It looks to the west off of the mountain at a huge  rock.   You have to climb up on the rock to see.  It was a grandstand view and the colors were unbelievable.    

  

Below:  wow! What a view from this new to me overlook. 

Below: One end of this overlook has an oddly pointed shape. 

Below is a video of the overlook that really shows what it is like. 

Below is a shot of one of the roughest spots. It is a rocky area that is mighty close to the edge of the mountain and off camber.   Kenny had me get out.  He handled it like a boss.  

  This trail was exciting, but I shot a lot of video rather than taking as many photos.  The photos are good, but they really don't showcase the difficulty, excitement or beauty of the place.  

Below is a highlight video that shows some of the best points from start to finish.  I think I mentioned the end point road number incorrectly. I'll look at it again and try to correct it.  I think I said it ends at RT 190, but the true number is Rt 92.  The footage of the spot shown above is at 2:32. 

  The trail started off with lots of reds and oranges, but toward the far end in Kentucky the colors shifted to more golds.   It was all pretty.

  We finally arrived at the end of Ridge Trail in Frakes Kentucky.   We drove through town and eventually Kenny turned off on another road. We ended up stopping at the base of a mountain and eating a sandwich.  We then started up the mountain on a steady climb.  It was very pretty and fun for this part with some views.  

Below is a video of the climb up the mountain and the views.  We were heading to a place he wanted to show me called Top of the World.  

Below: one photo of the colors along this trail. 

Below: view from Top of the World

Below: old hunting shack on the trail on the way to the Top of the World looking west. 

Below: three photos of the view from Top of the World toward the north

   We passed through an active mining area that looked like the landscape on an alien planet.  It was ugly and made me uneasy.    The trail from Top of the World off the mountain down to Motch was boring.

Lots of brush hanging in the trail to smack us in the face.    I developed a splitting headache about here so I did not enjoy this part of the ride.   I took some motrin and waited on it to kick in.  We did see a wild red horse along this stretch.   One other good thing I did not get a photo of was the view of Middlesboro.  You can tell from up high it is set in an old impact crater!  

     

   We went across Bryson Mountain which was also 100% new to me.  Kenny had been here before. We turned aside to see an old coal chute and the little shed near it.  It was pretty cool.  What we didn't realize was that 1/2 mile straight down as the crow flies was the loading tipple across from Motch Falls.     

above : first look across the old coal chute ruins. 

Below:  a look into the bottom at the sloped chute. I've been reading up on how these were put together and worked. I still don't really understand it, but they were set up to gravity load railcars with various sorted sizes of coal.  Some nut sized, egg sized, and some lump sized.  

Below: cute little hut in the woods near the chute.  Looks like now it is a hunting camp. This is the rear of it. 

Below: front view of the cabin. 

Below: where the trail goes past the coal ruins was picture book pretty!  Somewhere very, very close to here is the old mine entrance.  If we go back I will GPS it and find it. It is shown on the historic map.

Below is a video of the entire mining ruins that shows it better.

   Finally down off the mountain I was starting to improve and wasn't complaining as bitterly.  

Kenny cajoled me into a better mood and I was persuaded not to give up on seeing Motch today.

I'm very glad to have lost the head and neck ache and not given up on my day.  

        The ride down Bryson Mountain still seemed long to me, but it was very pretty.

The trail wasn't unpleasant at all.  Once I was no longer in pain it became fun again.

Finally at the bottom of the mountain I recognized where we were.  I recalled all the times I'd passed this trail and said "I wonder where that goes?"  Now I didn't have to wonder. I knew!

    A very short distance down Rt 132 was Motch Falls.  It is part of the former mining town operations for the White Oak Coal Corp.   The falls are spring fed and thankfully were running surprisingly well today.  The site is always pretty.  The leaves were turned yellow and gold around the falls and creek bank.   I saw one lone violet blooming by the creek!  I also saw one sprig of goldenrod.  One lone butterfly swooped down and said hello past my nose!   I would not have wanted to miss this.

Below: Motch Falls in Autumn.  Always pretty.  Always flowing. 

Below is a short video of the falls. It is set to music called "Antiquity" by Ben McElroy. It was chosen because it sounds to me like the very heart of East Kentucky and uber rural Claiborne County, Tennessee.   Crying fiddles and echo like they come from  the distant past.   

 

  Last of all we  crossed the stream and checked out what I've learned is the ruins of the former Fork Ridge School.  The little rock shed looks to be CCC era construction. Hard to say of the foundation, but it might be as well. I think the school foundation and building might be a little older and the rock shed came later.  I'm looking for history on it.  Not having a lot of luck thus far.    It is a cool little spot in the woods next to the waterfall.   Just down from it.   We saw an old kerosene can and a coleman fuel can. 

A tree has fallen on the roof of the shed, but that sucker is no match for the stone and cement of that excellent piece of engineering!  

Below: a look past the side of the shed at the side wall of the foundation. It is a much larger rectangle around the inner shed.  It has a chimney in the top. One small window in this side and a door in front.  One med to small window or opening in the rear.  I think it was part of how they heated the school.

Certainly they had coal galore to heat with. They may have had this like a room for the furnace and to store the coal. My old elementary school had a room for coal and by the time I went there in 1969 they were burning a different fuel, but we had clinkers on the gravel playground and tiny bits of coal. 

Below: neat looking little stone shed. The stone masonry on this was outstanding. It has a keystone over the door. A lintel stone over the window opening. 

Below is a photo of a wet weather falls across from the school ruins.  It comes out of a spring. I've been to it before when it was flowing. 

Below is a video of the school ruins. 

     We checked out the area around and below the school ruins.  I recall a time when we rode past those ruins and never spotted them!  We did see a pair of wet weather falls and some flowers.  The trail followed a gas line and dead ended way on out a hill.  

     

        Today sparked our imaginations so much we are going to have to return to document ALL the ruins of the former coal mining town we can find.   I learned upon returning home that if we had followed the Glenboro Road toward Middlesboro we'd have come to Wells Camp.  It is also mining ruins. 

  One thing I learned about Motch is that it was so isolated at the time it was put together that the ONLY roads to come to or from it were out of Middlesboro, Kentucky to the north.  It is about 4 miles from Middlesboro by road.  

     We headed home and Kenny managed to pick a trail we'd never been on!  The return trip seemed very long partly because of the unfamiliar trail.  I was glad when we finally came out near the beaver ponds and spots I recognized from before.   I don't like that sense of no idea where I am.  

    We were both very glad to see the truck and trailer when we finally got back. It was around 5 pm when we got back to the truck.  Two and a half miles or so from the truck the RZR quit on us.  It has been very dusty today and I think it was gas starved. The breather needs cleaned out. Thankfully it took off again and didn't strand us. Kenny's poor right knee really is hurting him. Sitting is the worst on it.

He's going to have to have the knee replaced so it would appear.  

      We made it home and I threw a frozen pizza in the oven.  Kenny hit the shower first. Crystal and Adam stopped by to visit.  I talked with them awhile then I hit the shower.  We were so dusty and dirty. I felt like my hair had marshmellows in it.  Metallic smelling dust.  Ick! later that night my sinuses acted up and I had dust still in my nose and head! I ordered a new face mask to protect myself and my lungs.

   A couple take aways from today's ride for me: 

Despite Access changes it is clear to me that Tackett Creek area is huge and it isn't going to matter to me.  So many spots to explore and discover. 

    Sometimes limiting access to certain spots helps me stop doing so many repeat trips and move on to other things I might be missing out on.

Tackett Creek in Autumn is hard to beat and WAY worth it! 

Notes to Self  for Future Reference: 

Go back to document Motch mining town ruins thoroughly.

Go up toward Middlesboro thorougly Wells Camp and Bennett fork to document mining equipment and ruins. L& N RJ Corman.

Do a trip to and through Middlesboro 

Clear Creek trail bridge tunnel and campus for hiking

Below I leave you with a video of the ride on ridge trail that really shows off the Fall colors.

 

Tackett Creek Autumn 2026 Part 1

 

above bright colored leaves starting to fall to the ground at Tackett Creek

Tackett Creek Autumn 2026

Sunday Oct. 11, 2026

Kenny & Dana Koogler

Michael Lindsey and Olivia Myers

Photos are HERE 

This blog entry is dedicated to honoring the memory of Pierce Bobo and 

remembering his mom and family.  May God Bless you All!  

Tackett Creek Autumn 2026 Part 2 Link HERE 

     It occurred to me one day that in all the years we've been riding at Tackett Creek we had never visited in Autumn.   I looked up videos and photos of Fall there.  Oh boy were we missing out!

We made plans to go there and see it for ourselves.    I mentioned it in front of grandson Michael and he reminded me that he had been wanting to go riding with me and Papaw and take Olivia. His girlfriend is a very athletic, outdoorsy young lady.   I realized our opportunity was at hand.   It worked out that we could all go on Sunday.    They met us at our house Sunday morning and we set off together toward Campbell County.  

      We parked at Red's General Store and unloaded.  We paid our $5 into the drop box at the front of the store to park for the day.   It is a very convenient location and secure as well.  I had done some serious looking into the Tackett Creek area in the preceding days to decide what we wanted to see.  I learned that not only had we been missing out on Fall colors, but a new area of Tackett Creek we had never visited.  Tackett Town!   We would make all that right today.   We would revisit quite a few spots today because all of it would be new to Michael and Olivia.   

            Last time we visited Tackett Creek we parked out along the original road access near the wildlife ponds.    We are tagged for road use as well as trail so we drove down the road a short distance and picked up the trails there.  We entered the same way today the only difference being we parked at Red's store.    We stopped by the little waterfall near the beginning of the trail to see how it was running. 

It was not bad for this time of year.    It is a bank scramble down over tree roots to reach the base of the falls.  Someone has installed rope and a rope and rung ladder!  

          Below: Small waterfall still flowing despite the drought. 

Below: our gang in Blaze Orange for hunting season.  

Below: Scrambling back up the bank from the falls 

Below: some unfortunate machine lost their skid plate here.  Some rough riding at Tackett so finding parts is not uncommon. 

  Below is a short video of the waterfall 

   Next we headed for the most exciting part of our day. Tackett Town. Totally new to us.    It was shown on Lifetime Maps so finding it was no problem.  We really hadn't done much if any riding in this area. It was very cool.  The trails were exciting with climbs, twists and turns and views! The woods were just starting to show some color change.    It didn't take long until we arrived at the top of a plateau.   It reminded me of visiting Town Rock.  Being at the top of a plateau deeply cut into and split by time and weather.    We didn't have any problem finding our way into the rock town having watched a Youtube video and really there was only one place to go.  

Below: the mossy entrance into Tackett Town

     

  We enjoyed exploring among the rocks. There is a small overlook with a partial view shown below. 

Below:  a view of the rock structures above me. 

Below: an archette 

Below:  Looking out from one of the rock shelters

Below:  a small arch. It is possible to walk under, but you have to squat down to do it. 

Below:  a sidelong glance at the rock overhang. Just one of many

Below:  a rock that looks like a building.  

Below:  a glance at the rocks with the leaves turning yellow.  

Below is a video that is on the longer side for my usual that really shows Tackett Town.  

  We concluded our exploring and loaded up to go down the mountain. We got a nice rollercoaster ride down and some great views of the mountains.  

Below is the view of the Cumberland Mountains from the trail.  A little Fall color starting. 

Below is a video of the same view and a snippet of the ride. 

   Once back to the concrete bride and creek we pulled over to eat lunch.   The stream had a fair amount of water despite our dry conditions.   Once we started down the old rail bed we passed slate rock and many other riders watching a few guys try to climb it.  

   Today we headed up the rough trail toward what would be our first ever visit to The Cabin.  

We have never bothered going to it, but today we'd see what all the hype was about.  I'm real glad we did. It is a neat spot.  Someone has done a clean up there and the place was looking neat and tidy. No damage visible.   The view from the cabin is pretty good.  It sits in a clearing with scrub and sandstone. 

There is also a shed behind it that I'd never seen photographed.  There is a pond just past it that was pretty we were also unaware of.  Someone has constructed a memorial past the cabin in the area where there is a bit of a view. A cross saying Pierce Bobo.   I looked him up. He passed away in 2021. 

Below is a photo of Pierce sent to me by his mom, Tina.  He looks like he was a fun person who lived life with gusto.  I  reached out to his family to let them know of this blog post.  Edited to Add: on 10/31/2026 I found out WHY you turn your hat round backwards like Pierce has done.

I had to turn my blaze orange trucker hat around backwards to keep it from flying off my head in the strong breeze! I know I looked a sight, but that's the price of doing business. 

Below: Kenny approaching the cabin.  We all  hard our blaze orange on today as hunting has begun.

Below: shed behind the cabin.

Below: clearing with a partial view out from the cabin.  I walked down there and found the memorial marker. I wanted to remember this young man who I'm sure is missed. 

Below: spires of goldenrod

Below: Pierce Bobo memorial.

Below:  interior of the cabin. nice fireplace. 

Below: one of my favorite views of the trip heading out toward the pond 

above: rim of the pond is on fire with red leaves. Those may be sourwood trees.  Just small ones without any fruiting bodies.

Below: a view of the pond with the pretty Fall leaves. 

    Once we visited the cabin and its surroundings we moved onward.  We headed up the very rough, rocky main trail to Mclean Rock overlook.  It was a first when we got up there. No view! Totally fogged in.  We've been riding up there in rain and fog, but not like this pea soup.  You couldn't see any view. Only the trees in the immediate area.  

Below: fogged in at Mclean Rock. No view.

Below: you can still see the colors and the rock jutting out to the left in the fog bank

  Needless to say we did not stick around at the overlook minus a view.  We headed onward toward the next feature which was Sand Cave.   Kenny and I have been many times, but this would be a first for Michael and Olivia.  

  We crept down the very steep, rocky trail until we arrived at the parking spot for Sand Cave.  We park and walk to it.   Up over a steep bank and around a corner on a foot trail until we came to it.  The ground here is sandstone with lots of "pearls" which are actually quartz pebbles. They once were part of the sediment layer.   

Below: photo of the ground with all its pebbles and sand

Below: huge clump of mushrooms on the climb up the bank on foot

Below: Sand Cave waterfall barely flowing

Below: a glance back at the trail that rounds a corner

above: a better view of the Fall colors above the falls zoomed in.

Above: Kenny within the cave under the rock overhang. Michael and Olivia are down at the base of the falls where it hits the ground.  I don't have any photos that show them, but they are shown in the video below.  We enjoyed our time at Sand Cave, but once the rain started in showed no signs of letting up we headed back to the RZR.  We donned our rain gear and started for the truck.  The way out is also steep, rough and rocky, but not as bad as the trail down.  It began to pour on us during the ride back.

Below: video of Sand Cave and the falls and the rain starting to set in.

   We made it back to Red's where we parked. We loaded up. The rain slacked off so we were able to clean up a little bit.  We stopped on the drive home at Cracker Barrel. Papaw treated everyone to dinner. He is wonderful.  I'm thankful our family has a close relationship and that after all these years our grandkids still remember us and want to be with us.  It was such a good day that we've already made plans to return.   We found out about Tuesday morning that gates went up to block access to Mclean Rock Overlook and Sand Cave.   I don't pay much mind to these sorts of things until it is proven true.  Fellow riders went to check and found out it was NOT a rumor. It is a fact. Three gates have been installed.  TDEC owns the ridgeline for the Cumberland Trail State Park.   It finally came to a head and they protected the land.  Can't blame TWRA. Can't blame anyone. It is what it is.   The CT was badly abused by erosion and was a soupy mud hole for a stretch where the ATV crowd was being allowed to use it.   We had known for some time this was not a matter of if, but WHEN.   When is now. 

As we found out today Tackett Creek is huge and limiting access to two features isn't a deal breaker. You can still visit them on foot.  TWRA has in the past had to limit access to land features to foot travel only.  Primroy arch is a prime example.  It was getting trashed by litter, graffiti and people driving up on the arch!  It isn't necessary to do those things to enjoy it.  Now that you have to walk things are better. 

   I'll write Part 2 this week and get it posted.   If you think TDEC is just kidding about the gates..... think again.   We arrived Sat. 10/31/2026 to a vastly improved, gravel parking lot. See? Those increased fees are going for something good!  We saw a Tennessee State Park ranger had parked and unloaded a machine in order to patrol and enforce the closures those gates represent.    I was glad to see it.  There is always the element who thinks the rules don't apply to me. 

  

Last of all is a wonderful video shared with me by  Pierce's mom Tina of one of the memorial four wheeling rides they did to honor his memory at Tackett Creek.   It was very moving and positive.