Tennessee trails · Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
A 85.2-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Tennessee, with 2,237 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,197 miles. Reaches Turkeypen Gap and other pass/spring/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 16,034 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Turkeypen Gap (pass)
- Horseridge Gap (pass)
- Double Spring Gap (pass)
- McQueen Knob (summit)
- McQueen Gap (pass)
- Locust Knob (summit)
- Low Gap (pass)
- Low Gap Spring (spring)
- Maple Spring Gap (pass)
- Locust Pole Knob (summit)
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:30 a.m., the sun rises at 6:57 a.m. and sets at 7:57 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:23 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 00 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 85.2-mile route works out to roughly 32 h 41 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- At Access Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail + 000 — 5.2 mi loop, 653 ft gain
- ANST - APPALACHIAN RD + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 5.6 mi loop, 214 ft gain
- Flint Mountain Trail + 000 + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 5.9 mi loop, 790 ft gain
Across the border
- Continues into VA as Appalachian National Scenic Trail — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Iron Mountain — 11.9 mi
- Holston Mountain Trail — 17.6 mi
- Holston Mountain West — 21.4 mi
- Little Pond Mountain — 23.8 mi