North Carolina trails · Wauchecha Bald

Wauchecha Bald

A 8.3-mile network in North Carolina, with 2,396 ft of climbing. Reaches Haw Gap and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length

8.3 mi

Elevation gain

2,396 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

43%

Steepest mile

+892 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

3.7 mi

Shape

network

Bikes

yes

Horses

yes

Managed by

U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 1,441 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Haw Gap (pass)
Wauchecha Bald (summit)
Hazanet Knob (summit)
Locust Licklog Gap (pass)
Cody Gap (pass)

Getting there

Wauchecha Bald access — parking nearby. 35.37159, -83.86733 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:40 a.m., the sun rises at 7:06 a.m. and sets at 8:04 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:30 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 57 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.3-mile route takes roughly 4 h 16 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:22 a.m. — 8 h 42 min before sunset.