Waterfall on Lower Staire Branch.jpg
Honeybadgerhiking · CC BY-SA 4.0

Bear Pen Trail–Big Ivy Road, 8 sights is a 16-mile out-and-back in Craggy Mountain Wilderness Study Area near Dillingham, NC. It climbs 2,553 ft, with sections as steep as 28% grade. It scores 63/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.

Elevation

0 mi2,582 – 4,777 ft · steepest grade: 28%16.2 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Big Ivy Road 35.72862, -82.37439
Nearest town Dillingham, NC

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Bear Pen Trail–Big Ivy Road, 8 sights

16 mi · ▲ 2,553 ft · 6 hr 37 min

Elevation 2,581–4,777 ft

Out & Back · Craggy Mountain Wilderness Study Area

Trailhead: Big Ivy Road · 35.72862, -82.37439

Weather Sep 5: sunrise 7:05 AM · sunset 7:53 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Big Ivy Road, heading N.
  2. 3.4 miBear left onto Stair Creek Trail, heading W.
  3. 1.1 miBear left onto Walker Creek Trail, heading W.
  4. 0.9 miTurn left onto Big Ivy Road, heading NW.
  5. 0.4 miReach Big Ivy Road, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  6. 0.7 miTurn right onto Elk Pen Trail, heading N.
  7. 1.4 miSharp right onto Big Ivy Road, heading SE.
  8. 0.3 miBear right onto Little Andy Trail, heading NE.
  9. 50 ftBear left onto Big Ivy Road, heading NE.
  10. 2.6 miSharp left onto Bear Pen Trail, heading SE.
  11. 1.4 miSharp right onto Laurel Gap Trail, heading E.
  12. 2.6 miBear left onto Big Ivy Road, heading S.
  13. 1.1 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

18% grass15% gravel67% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 7:05 AMSunset 7:53 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.1 mi in (~2 min). Leave by 7:32 PM for the 7:53 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:10 PM — 9 min before dark. Car visible from the viewpoint

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

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