Gobey Four Wheeling in Autumn to Boogs Den

above: photo of the cover of a book written by Jean Pollard and Barbara Ellis Langley.

It can be purchased at the Morgan County Historical Society Museum in Wartburg.  It tells the story of Boogs Den. That is how I came to know of it.  Here is a link to the small business spotlight article that tells about my visit to the museum. 

Gobey Four Wheeling in Autumn to Boogs Den 

Saturday  Nov. 1, 2025

Dana & Kenny Koogler

Photos are HERE

Gobey Directions HERE 

Sat. Nov. 15, 2025-- I am making a note here to say that after nearly 12 years of blogging, I had a mishap. I was over half done with typing this trip report last night when I lost ALL my work.

One time in twelve years isn't bad, but it was very discouraging.    I am starting over fresh today. I hope it will be even better than it was.  I am going to keep it down to the condensed version as I don't think I have the gumption to do more than that right now.  Remember, Back up all work! 

Friday Oct. 31 we decided late in the evening that on Saturday morning we'd get up and go out to Gobey.  The weather had cooled down a lot making it a great time to hunt for off trail stuff.  We'd had rain so the original plan was find Boogs Den cave then go over to Devonia and hunt waterfalls.       We set out at a decent time Saturday morning.  It felt great to be actually carrying out a plan instead of merely talking about it.    It was nice too that it wasn't such a long way from home.   We parked, unloaded, stowed all our gear in the RZR and set off.  The temperatures were in the upper thirties.   The weather was calling for a clear day that should warm up some.

    We had to cover some of the same ground today as we had our last ride out here. Kenny pulled up Lifetime Maps and showed me the way we needed to go.   He suggested taking a slightly different course to find the cave. It would run us by Shroom Rock which we had never visited.

We realized Friday night we had also never visited Gobey during Autumn.   We were to find out we were indeed late to the party.   

        We started enjoying beautiful Autumn colors almost immediately. The climb up to Shroom Rock was pretty and fun.   It wasn't a long ride until we got arrived at Shroom Rock and got out of the machine to see it for ourselves.  It indeed looks like a giant mushroom made of stone.

above: I liked the bright red leaves against the blue sky

Below: the trail we rode had large rocks all along it. 

Below: Shroom Rock was impressive

Below:  the climb up the mountain to Shroom Rock was pretty

Below: partial view on the ride to Shroom rock

above and below: spot we stopped to look around at Shroom Rock.  Kenny with our RZR.

    Next we pushed onward along the Rock Ledges Trail toward the next thing the map program indicated.  It pointed out "Home Site" and "Graves 1858".  We enjoyed the crazy climb and jostling around among golden leaves.   Towering rock bluffs and mountains made it enjoyable also.

Below is a video clip of that section of our ride

 

  We did find the "home site" and I found one possible grave stone.  A fellow on Facebook showed me a photo of one of the for sure graves.   Just before that spot we passed the big turn with the three crosses and a nice view. 

      

Below: a pretty view from three crosses in Fall

Below: three crosses for three dead men

Below:  this is what sat at the homesite.  a flat area where a house may have stood.  This is all that remains.  

Below: backed up to give a broader look at the home site 

Below: what may be a grave marker 

Below: asters blooming late into the season 

  We kept going along Rock Ledges Trail and began to see familiar terrain where we needed to stop to hunt for Boogs Den cave.  This is as good a place as any to include a snippet about where it got its name. It was named for a man who lived in the area called Boog Davis.  He hid in the cave during the American Civil War. He did not want to fight on either side.  Barbara's book outlines the specifics as to what his reasons were.  Tennessee seceded the Union by only one vote.  It was split almost down the middle in sentiments for and against the war.  Mr. Davis found himself caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.  God will have to be his judge as to whether he did right or wrong.   I think it is possible many East Tennessean's had the good sense to see that there is no such thing as a winnable war.  Everybody loses in one way or another.   We followed a side path that led up to the rock ledges.  We began to hunt for a cave. 

Below:  view from the top of Rock Ledges 

Below: I am standing on one part of Rock Ledges and you can see Kenny in his orange on another part. 

Below:  at one point I thought the cleft in the rock face might be the cave. It wasn't but we were getting closer.  

Below: I am working my way along the base of Rock Ledges toward the sound of Kenny's voice. He was yelling to me that he had found it!

Below: looking up at the bluff from its base as I work my way slowly along toward Kenny

  I was encountering lots of briars and vines and hitchhiking seeds.  It made me glad we had seen wisdom of waiting for colder weather to make this attempt.    I kept going toward Kenny and sure enough there he stood in front of a cave entrance with a tree growing near the mouth of it!  Just as described in the book!  We were thrilled to have found it. We spent longer than we realized exploring the area.   We found NO graffiti and only one piece of human trash. A long mashed plastic gallon milk jug.   It was not 100% pristine, but nearly so.  This lets me know that the folks who are aware of it and visit here are good stewards of landforms and history.   

Below: the mouth of Boogs Den cave. It is formed in an interesting way.  Bryan told me it is made this way because it sits on the Tennessee Valley Divide.  It is cleft from the top upward.  The tree grows near the base of the bluff and if you look up through the split you can see its upper limbs bend over the top entrance to the cave.    

Below: Looking out the mouth of Boogs Den. I liked the layered look of the rock.

Below: you can really see the split where the cave is on the divide line & the tree bending over it. 

Below: I am looking up through the split in the cave ceiling

Below: sunbeam illuminates the cave all the way to its back parts

Below: Kenny looking of the cave mouth for scale! 

Below is one of my doodles of how the cave seems to be.  I want to go back and check it out from the top next go round. 

Below is a video of Boogs Den Cave

  Eventually we snapped out of our trance and realized that if we were going to see anything else today we had to get on with it!  We went back to the machine and had a quick lunch and something to drink.  We motored onward. The next part of the ride was fun, but repetitive since we'd seen it before in June.   I did take some photos, but not many.  

Below:  This is a view coming off the back of the mountain toward Pilot Mountain.  

Below:  a snapshot of fiery red sumac leaves and puffy gray goldenrod gone to seed

Below: We passed through this stand of pine trees on the ride off Pilot Mountain.  

  We got down off Pilot Mountain and back round to Gobey Road.   We headed outward to the end past the gates.   We began seeing lots of rigs parked for folks to ride. Then we began seeing riders!  Lots of nice people had the same idea, but despite that it was not crowded and we only saw them along the main road.  We didn't encounter anyone on the trails themselves.  

      We did see a coal storage bin today on the ride up to the mountain top at the end which we had never noticed before.  Something to be said for every season. The colors out here were amazing!

above and below:  pretty colors looking off the mountain top near the end of Gobey Road

Below:  a trail intersection today

   I asked Kenny where we were going? He told me we had to get to a big intersection near the mountain top.  It didn't take too long until we got there. He stopped and showed me on the map program where we were. He then proceeded to show me what we needed to do to get where we were trying to go look for waterfalls.  He looked at the map and then at me and said "It's a long ways."  You may believe me when I say I can control my mouth.  I didn't say a word, but my face gives me away every time.   Kenny took notice of my horror and then began trying to back pedal.  "Well, it's not THAT far. " which was followed up by a lot of wild equivocating.  I call it "talking out of boths sides of  yer mouth."  

  Then I had my second epiphany of 2025.  I recognized that Kenny had the rabies again!  He loses his mind and gets over ambitious like a beagle on the scent of game in the woods.  I don't do the chasing rabbits thing too often.   It was already four o'clock pm.   The day had darkened and was turning cooler.   The long established pattern over the years of misery trips in the RZR where the ride got too long to suit me. The conditions got too uncomfortable.  I bucked up and said "Oh hell no!"  Not doing that today. "  Kenny knew better than to test my resolve so he began heading back off the mountain.  

He did not go without a bit more equivocating.  He doesn't mean to lie to me, but he lies to himself and believes it so he is crazy.  One of us has to remain sane and reasonable.  That would be me! 

        I convinced him that the trip was too ambitious for a short Fall day. It needed to be two trips instead of one.   I did not want our good day to become a misery trip.  Let's instead go back down the mountain enjoying the scenery and hit some of the good spots on the way.  He agreed that was a fine plan.  I actually got it on video tape him admitting that he was glad I had sense to talk him off the ledge.     We enjoyed seeing the Emory River and its historic railroad bridge ruins and Fall colors.

We stopped in Oliver Springs and got groceries for me to cook us a nice hot meal at home.  We arrived home tired and dirty, but in good spirits.  Not exhausted and me angry.  

       It was a far better plan.  We will return and hunt the waterfalls we wanted to see, but we will try to find a parking spot closer to them or head there first.  

above: Emory River and a set of railroad bridge abutments

Below: a cascade across the Emory River

Below: second set of bridge ruins on the Emory River 

Below:  close up of leaves on the river 

Below:  colorful red leaves and a small cascade at the second set of bridge ruins

      I leave you with a short video clip of the Emory River, bridge ruins, cascades and beautiful colors.

Gobey is pretty in Any season and as Kevin Crites put it "Now you see why I spend so much time up there!" Indeed I do my friend.  You are a wise man.  There is hope for me yet.  I am learning how to manage my sweet, but overzealous husband and his trail rabies.