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North Carolina trails · East Ridge Trail

East Ridge Trail

A 2.2-mile out-and-back in North Carolina, with 420 ft of climbing. Reaches Lookout Mountain and other pass/summit/viewpoint destinations.

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Length
2.2 mi
Elevation gain
420 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Max grade
43%
Steepest mile
+377 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
1.3 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
Ground
Bikes
no
Horses
no

Elevation profile

3,582 – 4,003 ft12

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 716 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

Reaches

Heads up

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

Getting there

East Ridge Trail access. 35.66111, -82.28538 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:34 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 4.4-mile round trip takes roughly 2 h 03 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:03 a.m. — 10 h 54 min before sunset.

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