The disk showing the boundaries of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.

We walk around in a world full of geographic points of interests.  For many of us, we do not realize this until they are pointed out to us.  That is how I was about highpoints and tripoints, but once I learned of them, I became very interested in them.

I had heard about tripoints since I started chasing down highpoints, but even then, I had not really thought about them. In fact, in doing highpoints, I am pretty sure that I have come close to several tripoints without thinking to stop.

I nearly did the same thing this summer when heading home from Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

Thankfully, while driving on Interstate 24 outside of Chattanooga, I realized that a tripoint had to be near since one was so close to Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama at the same time.  I hit a Pilot gas station, started doing some google searching, and tracked down where the tripoint would be located.

The controversy surrounding this tripoint makes it exciting. Nickajack Lake sits near this tripoint, just safely inside of Tennessee.  There has been a long-running dispute (over 100 years) about the correct border between Tennessee and Georgia, and some in Atlanta want it revisited as they feel it would give Georgia access to the water in Nickajack Lake which was formed by damming parts of the Tennessee River.

In order to get to this tripoint, one has to drive by Nickajack Lake, past a few houses, and a church, and park  at State Line Cemetery.  From there, there is a short trail that leads up a hill.  Near the top of that hill, there are many flagged posts, and in the middle sites the tripoint marker.  With the careful placement of some fingers on the marker, someone can be in three states at once.  Of course, there are other ways to do it as well, but this makes a great photo.

My son, Benjamin, making sure he is in three states at once.