Category: Museums

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Stone Cuts Trail of Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, Alabama Hiking Review

Stone Cuts Trail at Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, AL

While we have plentiful hiking opportunities here in North Georgia, I wanted to get out a little and drive a few hours for a new hike. The Monte Sano State Park is a pleasant, mostly rural and regional road drive of about 4 hours, and the famous Stone Cuts Trail is worth it.

After paying $5 entrance at the welcome gate, stop by the office for a map and got your hiking badge for your walking stick, and then drive to the “Biker’s Trailhead” aka Biker’s Pavilion where you can park for the day.

Monte Sano State Park Trail Map
Monte Sano State Park Trail Map
Monte Sano State Park walking stick medal badge
Monte Sano State Park walking stick medal badge

The pavilion has table and more than one bathroom! It is a great starting point. Then find the one trail that originates from there, and that is the Sinks Trail that will connect you to Stone Cuts Trail. The Sinks Trail is a pleasant 20 minutes through the woods. I was hiking alone and may have had the entire park to myself on the fall Thursday, so it was a little spooky hiking by myself in a trail I had never seen. This Sinks Trail however is well marked, and after about 20 minutes you arrive at Stone Cuts Trail – and you can’t miss it!

The Stone Cuts Trail looks like you are about to cross through the Misty Mountains to get to Moria, in the Lord of the Rings! The Stone Cuts Trail is carved through a limestone area that has cracked, and you are walking in sometimes very tight pathways, with all kinds of little caves and crevices all around you. I took my time to inspect and admire the limestone for fossils and interesting geology, and was just happy to be so isolated in a such a landscape that truly felt like something from Middle Earth. I also found a hidden geocache work of art that was a delightful surprise: https://northgeorgiaculture.com/2025/11/03/october-2025-discovery-at-monte-sano-state-park-alabama/. See the video below for highlights and photos. Here are the Monte Sano State Park trail requirements per American Geode:

Plenty of water and snacks – the pavilion where you start has water from the sinks but no food.

Walking stick is a MUST. The Stone Cuts Trail is EXTREMELY rocky and uneven. A walking stick is a must.

Your must sturdy hiking boots are also needed to be sure not to twist or strain or sprain anything while hiking.

Be prepared for a longer than expected walk back to your car. There is a way to circle back but we did not discover it so after finishing the Stone Cuts Trail, we followed signs to get back to the main road through the park and there is likely a faster way to get back to where you started via the trails. We could consider the trail a medium hike, moderate depending on the scale you consider for your hikes.

Watch our highlights video and if you visit Monte Sano State Park, please tell them American Geode sen’cha!

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Paleoart collection of Original Vintage Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar

Paleoart Original Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar

American Geode are also paleoart, art, and antiques appraisers, dealers and collectors, and we very recently acquired the entire vintage private artwork collection of PaleoArt that was used in the 2002 calendar of the American Museum of Natural History, New York. The artist who had lived in New York City and worked at the museum, moved to North Georgia, which is also the homebase of American Geode now, and we have had the chance to become friends with her and share our love and appreciation for the museums of New York City, especially the American Museum of Natural History. Here is an article and review about AMNH from our most recent visit: http://www.americangeode.com/blog/tips-for-visiting-the-american-museum-of-natural-history-amnh-in-new-york/

These sketches are preserved under wax paper with the annotations and notes on the wax paper. The paleoart sketches themselves are so charming, educational, and cool; they speak for themselves. We are cataloguing this collection of PaleoArt and will offer it for sale sometime this year.

Please contact American Geode directly if you would like more information. We will also be posting images on social media, https://x.com/AmericanGeode. Below is just a portion of this magnificent special PaleoArt collection.

PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
Paleoart Original Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar
Paleoart Original Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
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Tips and Suggestions for visiting the American Museum of Natural History in New York

Subway Garnet

We love the American Museum of Natural History; we actually love all the museums of New York City. The American Museum of Natural History, AMNH, contain so much information to be read, observed, viewed and not to be missed, that you may want to devote two days to a visit, but here are a few tips and suggestions that are especially relevant to rockhounds and geology, mineral, and fossil enthusiasts.

The first and we do mean first tip to enjoying your visit to AMNH is to enter on the Columbus Avenue side. Enter on the side opposite, on the other street, on the backside, and do not wait in the long line on the Central Park West main entrance with the pair of lion stone sculptures. That main entrance always has a line that can last up to an hour. On the other side of the museum is another entrance that rarely has a line, and you can walk right in if you pre-paid for your tickets and you can buy your tickets there too. This is a very important trick that you will thank us for once you experience the difference and convenience and ease of entering the museum on the Columbus Ave side.

A benefit of entering the museum on the Columbus Avenue side is that the first major hall and exhibition you enter is the newly remodeled famous Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. This is a fascinating gem of an exhibition that contains some of the largest minerals in the world, some of the most rare minerals and fossils in the world, and education and insight throughout. When we were there last, we spent 2 hours just in the area for gems, minerals, and fossils, and then right next door is the equally fascinating insect and bug hall and exhibits where you get to see live insects as well.

So plan your visit wisely fellow rockhound and gem, mineral, fossil enthusiasts, and start your visit to the American Museum of Natural History from the Columbus Ave entrance. Enjoy photos below from our March 2025 visit to New York and contact American Geode with any questions. #NewYorkRocks

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Knoxville Gem & Mineral Society 2021 Show!

Knoxville Gem & Mineral Society 2021 Annual Gem Show

Rothchild Conference Center 8807 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37923

Friday, October 15, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Saturday, October 16, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Sunday, October 17, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

As a precaution for Covid masks will be required for admittance.

The show will feature 23 vendors with a wide variety of jewelry, fossil and mineral specimens, meteorites, gemstones, and decorative objects. There will also be educational activities and gem and mineral ID tables. Admission Adults: $6.00 Run of Show Pass: $10.00 Children Under 12: Free

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Summerville, Georgia Agate Rockhounding Trip 2021

Summerville Georgia lace agate

Through one of the gem and mineral clubs to which we belong, we were invited to rockhound for lace agate, banded agate, moss agate, and druzy quartz from a private mining site near Summerville, Georgia.

I arrived and was lucky to have the entire mining area to myself except, over the course of the morning and afternoon, 2 different couples stopped by to collect agate, and a family was out on a rockhounding trip.

American Geode takes that attitude that if you can, take a lifetime supply. We filled up every bucket and bin we brought, and also picked up many large and heavy agates. The stone was plentiful. The only time we used our tools was to break apart a behemoth stone into more manageable sections. We found moss agate, lace agate, banded agate, and our favorites had druzy quartz pockets.

The beauty of these stones were not easy to see without being splashed with a little water, but we ran out of water, so started collecting more than enough to overcompensate as we expected to have some stones better suited for the garden. On a recent gem and mineral meeting over Zoom, when I was showing off these fine agate specimens, I learned that the agate, and the stone formation containing covers a lot of Northwest Georgia, even into Tennessee, but it is on private land, or federal park land, so not available or accessible to the general public.

This agate tumbles well, but it loses a lot of surface area during the tumbling. It is beautiful however, and we are sure that a cabochon or lapidary person would have even more fun with this agate.

We are selling this agate here: https://www.ebay.com/usr/americangeode

  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate