North Carolina trails · Old Butt Knob
Old Butt Knob
A 3.7-mile network in North Carolina, with 2,279 ft of climbing. Reaches Shining Rock Gap and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 64% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 1.2.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Shining Rock Gap (pass)
- Old Butt Knob (summit)
- Spanish Oak Gap (pass)
- Beech Spring Gap (pass)
- Shining Creek Gap (pass)
- Dog Loser Knob (summit)
- Shining Rock (summit)
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:11 a.m., the sun rises at 7:36 a.m. and sets at 6:57 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:23 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 21 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.7-mile route takes roughly 2 h 31 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 10:07 a.m. — 8 h 50 min before sunset.
Loop options
- IVESTOR GAP + OLD BUTT KNOB + SHINING CREEK — 11.7 mi loop, 3,477 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Art Loeb Nrt — 6.8 mi
- Squirrel Gap — 8.5 mi
- Black Mountain — 8.8 mi
- Mst - Nantahala Rd — 10.0 mi