Tennessee trails · Alum Cave Trail

Alum Cave Trail

A 14.7-mile loop in Tennessee, with 2,527 ft of climbing. Reaches Arch Rock and other arch/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.

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Length

14.7 mi

Elevation gain

2,527 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

60%

Steepest mile

+824 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

7.4 mi

Shape

loop

Bikes

Horses

Managed by

National Park Service

Elevation profile

The climbing leans toward the first third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 4.9. It gives back about 3,050 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Arch Rock (arch)
Peregrine Peak (summit)
Cliff Top (summit)

Getting there

Alum Cave Trailhead — parking nearby. 35.62905, -83.45093 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:38 a.m., the sun rises at 7:04 a.m. and sets at 8:02 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:28 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 58 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 14.7-mile route takes roughly 6 h 43 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 1:48 p.m. — 6 h 14 min before sunset.