Tennessee trails · Chestnut Top Trail
A 12.8-mile loop in Tennessee, with 1,224 ft of climbing. Reaches Chestnut Top Lead and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
The climbing leans toward the first third: 45% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 4.3. It gives back about 1,964 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
Chestnut Top Trail Trailhead — parking nearby. 35.66047, -83.70892 · directions
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:39 a.m., the sun rises at 7:05 a.m. and sets at 8:03 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:29 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 58 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 12.8-mile route takes roughly 5 h 21 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:26 p.m. — 7 h 37 min before sunset.