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North Carolina trails · Black Mountain Crest

Black Mountain Crest

A 10.9-mile out-and-back in North Carolina, with 3,473 ft of climbing. Reaches Big Tom and other pass/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
10.9 mi
Elevation gain
3,473 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
42%
Steepest mile
+988 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
6.2 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Bikes
yes
Horses
yes
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

3,168 – 6,641 ft12345678910

The climbing leans toward the first third: 53% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 3.6.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Black Mountain Crest

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Terrain graded T3 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.

Getting there

BLACK MOUNTAIN CREST access — parking nearby, restroom, water. 35.76729, -82.26461 · 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 7:58 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:24 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 58 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 21.8-mile round trip takes roughly 11 h 32 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 6:31 p.m. — 1 h 26 min before sunset.

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