North Carolina trails · Hemphill Bald Trail
Hemphill Bald Trail
A 16.7-mile loop in North Carolina, with 2,246 ft of climbing. Reaches Garretts Gap and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 44% of the ascent falls between mile 11.1 and mile 16.7. It gives back about 3,972 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Garretts Gap (pass)
- Sugartree Licks (pass)
- Sheepback Knob (summit)
- Maggot Spring Gap (pass)
- Double Gap (pass)
- Hemphill Bald (summit)
- Pine Tree Gap (pass)
- Polls Gap (pass)
- Buck Knob (summit)
- Little Bald 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 16.7-mile route takes roughly 7 h 18 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:21 p.m. — 5 h 40 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Mountains to Sea Trail — 5.8 mi
- Balsam Mountain Trail — 8.1 mi
- Mst - Nantahala Rd — 12.9 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 13.6 mi