North Carolina trails · Anst - Cheoah Rd
Anst - Cheoah Rd
A 29.6-mile point-to-point in North Carolina, with 3,389 ft of climbing. Reaches Swim Bald and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 45% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 9.9. It gives back about 7,527 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Swim Bald (summit)
- Locust Cove Gap (pass)
- Cheoah Bald (summit)
- Grassy Gap (pass)
- Brown Fork Gap (pass)
- Sweetwater Gap (pass)
- Simp Gap (pass)
- Sassafras Gap (pass)
- Walker Gap (pass)
- Black Gum Gap (pass)
Heads up
Getting there
ANST - CHEOAH RD access — parking nearby. About 1 h 00 min drive (46 mi) from Waynesville. 35.33158, -83.59213 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:13 a.m., the sun rises at 7:39 a.m. and sets at 7:00 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:26 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 21 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 29.6-mile route works out to roughly 12 h 39 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- BENTON MACKAYE -CHEOAH RD + Appalachian National Scenic Trail + ANST - CHEOAH RD — 14.3 mi loop, 4,725 ft gain
- ANST - CHEOAH RD + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 14.7 mi loop, 4,827 ft gain
- ANST - CHEOAH RD + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 8.4 mi loop, 1,945 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 4.5 mi
- Noland Divide Trail — 12.3 mi
- Benton Mackaye -Cheoah Rd — 13.6 mi
- Thomas Divide Trail — 13.8 mi