Kentucky trails · Ridge Trail
Ridge Trail
A 8.8-mile out-and-back in Kentucky, with 926 ft of climbing. Reaches Butchers Gap and other pass/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 1,466 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Butchers Gap (pass)
- The Pinnacle (summit)
- Gibsons Gap (pass)
- Pinnacle Overlook (viewpoint)
Getting there
Ft. McCook Trail access — parking nearby. About 18 min drive (6 mi) from Middlesborough. 36.60619, -83.66738 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:14 a.m., the sun rises at 7:40 a.m. and sets at 6:59 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:25 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 19 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 17.5-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 25 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:06 p.m. — 3 h 54 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Ridge Trail — 2.4 mi loop, 239 ft gain
- Brownies Creek Road Trail + Martin's Fork Campsite Trail + Ridge Trail — 2.4 mi loop, 548 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Shillalah Creek Trail — 6.3 mi
- US-421 Access — 29.2 mi