North Carolina trails · MTS / Tanawha Trail

MTS / Tanawha Trail

A 10.2-mile out-and-back in North Carolina, with 1,170 ft of climbing. Reaches Wilson Creek Overlook and other viewpoint destinations.

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Length

10.2 mi

Elevation gain

1,170 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

31%

Steepest mile

+390 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

2.4 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 964 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Wilson Creek Overlook (viewpoint)
Yonahlossee Overlook (viewpoint)
Wilson Creek Valley Overlook (viewpoint)
Pilot Ridge Overlook (viewpoint)
Rough Ridge Lookout - Grandfather Mountain, NC. (viewpoint)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

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

Getting there

MTS / Tanawha Trail access. About 36 min drive (19 mi, 2 of them unpaved) from Boone. 36.09275, -81.81378 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:07 a.m., the sun rises at 7:33 a.m. and sets at 6:52 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:18 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 20 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 20.3-mile round trip takes roughly 8 h 41 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:14 p.m. — 2 h 39 min before sunset.