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North Carolina trails · Ridgeline Trail

Ridgeline Trail

A 5.7-mile out-and-back in North Carolina, with 586 ft of climbing. Reaches Dixon Gap and other arch/pass/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.

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Length
5.7 mi
Elevation gain
586 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
27%
Steepest mile
+349 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
1.5 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Bikes
no
Horses
no
Managed by
State

Elevation profile

856 – 1,441 ft12345

The climbing leans toward the final third: 53% of the ascent falls between mile 3.8 and mile 5.7. It gives back about 709 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Ridgeline Trail

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).

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:05 a.m., the sun rises at 7:30 a.m. and sets at 6:51 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:17 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 21 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 11.5-mile round trip takes roughly 4 h 50 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:20 p.m. — 6 h 32 min before sunset.

Loop options