North Carolina trails · Chunky Gal
Chunky Gal
A 20.9-mile point-to-point in North Carolina, with 2,236 ft of climbing. Reaches Tusquitee Bald and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 47% of the ascent falls between mile 14.0 and mile 20.9. It gives back about 5,744 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Tusquitee Bald (summit)
- Perry Gap (pass)
- Tusquitee Gap (pass)
- Tate Gap (pass)
- Grassy Gap (pass)
- Bear Gap (pass)
- Glade Gap (pass)
- Little Clay Knob (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
Chunky Gal Trail access. About 1 h 20 min drive (57 mi) from Waynesville. 35.06952, -83.62866 · 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 7:39 a.m. and sets at 7:01 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:26 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 22 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 20.9-mile route takes roughly 8 h 53 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:32 p.m. — 2 h 29 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Chunky Gal Trail + CHUNKY GAL — 9.8 mi loop, 3,786 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Anst - Tusquitee Rd — 5.5 mi
- Anst - Nantahala Rd — 6.2 mi
- Rim Trail — 13.1 mi
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 14.0 mi