North Carolina trails · Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
A 88.0-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in North Carolina, with 3,761 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,197 miles. Reaches Swim Bald and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 18,917 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)
- Wayah Bald (summit)
- Deep Gap (pass)
- Sassafras Gap (pass)
- Beech Gap (pass)
- Carter Gap (pass)
- Locust Cove Gap (pass)
- Albert Mountain (summit)
- Cheoah Bald (summit)
- Coleman Gap (pass)
Heads up
Getting there
TELLICO GAP AT TRAILHEAD (WESSER BALD) — parking nearby. 35.26807, -83.57254 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:39 a.m., the sun rises at 7:05 a.m. and sets at 8:02 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:28 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 57 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 88.0-mile route works out to roughly 34 h 29 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 — 2.9 mi loop, 748 ft gain
- Appalachian Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 15.2 mi loop, 4,407 ft gain
- ANST - APPALACHIAN RD + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 4.6 mi loop, 523 ft gain
Across the border
- Continues into GA as Appalachian National Scenic Trail — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Anst - Cheoah Rd — 4.5 mi
- Anst - Nantahala Rd — 12.3 mi
- Chunky Gal — 14.0 mi
- Noland Divide Trail — 15.2 mi