Kentucky trails · Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Birch Knob Section
Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Birch Knob Section
A 10.6-mile out-and-back in Kentucky, with 630 ft of climbing. Reaches Austin Gap and other lake/pass/summit/viewpoint destinations.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 45% of the ascent falls between mile 7.0 and mile 10.6. It gives back about 2,189 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Austin Gap (pass)
- Bob Gap (pass)
- Big Lick Gap (pass)
- Tucker Gap (pass)
- Bryant Gap (pass)
- Cantrell Gap (pass)
- Grassy Gap (pass)
- Cable Gap (pass)
- The Doubles (summit)
- Osborn Gap (pass)
Getting there
Pine Mountain access. 37.16469, -82.62294 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:33 a.m., the sun rises at 7:00 a.m. and sets at 8:00 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:27 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 01 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 21.1-mile round trip takes roughly 8 h 27 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:27 p.m. — 4 h 34 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Pine Mountain + Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Birch Knob Section — 1.5 mi loop, 529 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Highland Section — 0.9 mi
- High Rock Trail — 9.3 mi
- Lick Fish1023 — 23.8 mi