North Carolina trails · Mst - Pisgah Rd
Mst - Pisgah Rd
A 45.0-mile network in North Carolina, with 3,953 ft of climbing. Reaches Elk Pasture Gap and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 6,728 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Elk Pasture Gap (pass)
- Black Mountain (summit)
- Ferrin Knob (summit)
- Buck Spring Gap (pass)
- Cherry Gap (pass)
- Pigeon Gap (pass)
- Reynolds Gap (pass)
- Bennett Gap (pass)
- Candler Knob (summit)
- Grady Fork Gap (pass)
Heads up
Getting there
MST - PISGAH RD access — parking nearby. 35.50110, -82.59408 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:35 a.m., the sun rises at 7:01 a.m. and sets at 7:59 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:25 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 58 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 45.0-mile route works out to roughly 18 h 38 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- HAYWOOD GAP + BUCKEYE GAP + MST - PISGAH RD — 7.8 mi loop, 1,981 ft gain
- MST - PISGAH RD + GRAVEYARD RIDGE + GREASY COVE — 10.1 mi loop, 2,440 ft gain
- MTS ACCESS + MST - PISGAH RD + GRAVEYARD RIDGE — 1.9 mi loop, 301 ft gain
Nearby trails
- North Boundary — 4.4 mi
- Laurel Mountain — 8.7 mi
- Turkey Pen Gap — 11.5 mi
- Squirrel Gap — 11.7 mi