Montlake - Lake on the Mountain
Located in Hamilton County, Tennessee, near Chattanooga, this is one of the most interesting natural lakes, of which Tennessee has few. Montlake is a small lake near the rim of the Cumberland Plateau in Hamilton County, Tennessee. It sits close to the escarpment and has several striking features including sheer sandstone cliffs flanking most of the perimeter of the lake, as well as distinct sandstone joints zig-zagging southeast of the lake. The sinkhole itself trends south by southeast with another drainage heading southwest before turning 90 degrees and going northwest parallel to the cliff face. The lake is just over 3 acres at base height. Its depth is rumored to exceed 100' at its deepest location, but I cannot independently confirm this. Initial investigation of this feature by myself, and early Tennessee geologists suggest that Montlake is a sinkhole. It's round shape and closed elevation contours certainly makes it appear so, but that it sits on the Cumb