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Tennessee trails · Welch Ridge Trail

Welch Ridge Trail

A 6.3-mile out-and-back in Tennessee, with 984 ft of climbing. Reaches Water Oak Gap and other pass/summit destinations.

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Length
6.3 mi
Elevation gain
984 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
20%
Steepest mile
+488 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
2.2 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
Ground
Bikes
no

Elevation profile

4,464 – 5,448 ft123456

The climbing leans toward the final third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 4.2 and mile 6.3. It gives back about 847 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

Reaches

Daylight at the trailhead

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 12.6-mile round trip takes roughly 5 h 39 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:44 p.m. — 7 h 18 min before sunset.

Across the border

Nearby trails