Horse Mountain: Horse Mountain Agate Rockhounding in Bedford County, Tennessee
Updated July 2026
Horse Mountain is the source of Horse Mountain agate, a tightly banded chalcedony from the Ordovician Hermitage Formation that is prized by lapidaries and flintknappers alike, with the thinnest cuts showing true iris color. Mindat catalogues the classic ground as the Silvertooth agate fields on private farmland near Wartrace. The agate weathers out as surface float and in creek gravels around the mountain. Reported finds include horse mountain agate. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Horse Mountain photos
Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.
Map showing Horse Mountain in Bedford County, Tennessee
Quick details
- Access
- Permission required
- County
- Bedford County
- State
- Tennessee
- Nearest road
- Tuliptree Road
- Coordinates
- 35.51295, -86.42000
Geology at Horse Mountain
This spot sits on Nashville Group; Bigby-Cannon Limestone and Hermitage Formation, mapped as limestone and calcarenite that formed roughly 485 to 445 million years ago. Chert and agate nodules typically form inside carbonate rock like this and weather out as tough, waxy lumps in soils and creek beds.
- Mapped unit
- Nashville Group; Bigby-Cannon Limestone and Hermitage Formation
- Age
- 485–445 Ma (Ordovician)
- Rock types
- limestone and calcarenite
- Elevation
- 1,190 ft
Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.
Best time to visit Horse Mountain
Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 48°F in winter to 88°F in summer.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, SHELBYVILLE WATER DEPT station (3 mi away), adjusted for elevation.
Land & collecting status
Permission required before collecting
Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.
Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.
Sources & verification
Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.
Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.
Found at Horse Mountain
Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Horse Mountain.
- Philippi ChurchBedford County, Tennessee · 2 mi awayAgatized Coral
- Pannell RidgeBedford County, Tennessee · 2 mi awayAgatized Coral
- Sugar CreekBedford County, Tennessee · 6 mi awayAgatized Coral
- BeechgroveCoffee County, Tennessee · 12 mi awayChalcedony Nodule
- MurfreesboroRutherford County, Tennessee · 24 mi awayChert, Agate
- Cannon CountyCannon County, Tennessee · 30 mi awayCalcite, Fluorite, Geode
- WoodburyTop pick in TennesseeCannon County, Tennessee · 31 mi awayGeode
- Ben Lomond MountainTop pick in TennesseeWarren County, Tennessee · 37 mi awayCalcite, Celestite, Dolomite
Across the state line from Horse Mountain
Horse Mountain is close enough to the Tennessee border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
Horse Mountain FAQ
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