North Carolina trails · Balsam Mountain Trail
Balsam Mountain Trail
A 20.0-mile loop in North Carolina, with 1,543 ft of climbing. Reaches Pin Oak Gap and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 64% of the ascent, between mile 13.3 and mile 20.0. It gives back about 2,662 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Pin Oak Gap (pass)
- Laurel Gap (pass)
- Ledge Bald (summit)
- Beech Gap (pass)
- Balsam High Top (summit)
- Thermo Knob (summit)
- Tricorner Knob (summit)
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:37 a.m., the sun rises at 7:03 a.m. and sets at 8:01 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:27 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 58 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 20.0-mile route takes roughly 8 h 11 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:14 p.m. — 4 h 47 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Hemphill Bald Trail — 8.1 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 8.3 mi
- Mountains to Sea Trail — 10.9 mi
- Boulevard Trail — 11.8 mi