North Carolina trails · Thomas Divide Trail
Thomas Divide Trail
A 27.2-mile loop in North Carolina, with 3,003 ft of climbing. Reaches Deeplow Gap and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 51% of the ascent falls between mile 18.2 and mile 27.3. It gives back about 6,225 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Deeplow Gap (pass)
- Nettle Creek Bald (summit)
- Tuskee Gap (pass)
- Turkey Flyup (summit)
Getting there
Stone Pile Gap Trail access. About 53 min drive (34 mi) from Waynesville. 35.46936, -83.41517 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:13 a.m., the sun rises at 7:38 a.m. and sets at 6:59 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:25 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 21 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 27.2-mile route works out to roughly 11 h 36 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Thomas Divide Trail — 2.2 mi loop, 511 ft gain
- Thomas Divide Trail — 4.1 mi loop, 1,132 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Noland Divide Trail — 1.5 mi
- Welch Ridge Trail — 10.6 mi
- Boulevard Trail — 11.0 mi
- Anst - Cheoah Rd — 13.7 mi