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North Carolina trails · Mst - Nantahala Rd

Mst - Nantahala Rd

A 16.1-mile out-and-back in North Carolina, with 1,097 ft of climbing. Reaches Haywood Gap and other pass/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
16.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,097 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
26%
Steepest mile
+638 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
3.7 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Bikes
yes
Horses
yes
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

4,585 – 5,672 ft13579111315

The climbing leans toward the middle third: 46% of the ascent falls between mile 5.4 and mile 10.7. It gives back about 2,267 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Mst - Nantahala Rd

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

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

MST - NANTAHALA RD access. 35.39124, -83.03731 · directions

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 8:00 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:26 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 57 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 32.2-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 00 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

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