Tennessee trails · Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain
A 16.3-mile out-and-back in Tennessee, with 1,340 ft of climbing. Reaches Battleham Gap and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 3,064 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Battleham Gap (pass)
- Shady Gap (pass)
- Butt Mountain (summit)
- Grindstone Knob (summit)
- Sandy Gap (pass)
Getting there
IRON MOUNTAIN access. 36.47137, -81.94648 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:31 a.m., the sun rises at 6:58 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 32.5-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 24 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Across the border
- Continues into VA as Iron Mountain — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Holston Mountain Trail — 7.3 mi
- Holston Mountain West — 11.0 mi
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 11.9 mi
- Little Pond Mountain — 12.1 mi