Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Beech Gap & Pin Oak Gap via Balsam Mountain Trail
4.6 mi · ▲ 1,072 ft · 2 hr 4 min
Beech Gap & Pin Oak Gap via Balsam Mountain Trail is a 4.6-mile out-and-back in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Nellie, NC. The route passes Pin Oak Gap before reaching Beech Gap at the turnaround, 2.3 miles in. It climbs 1,072 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 92/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Beech Gap & Pin Oak Gap via Balsam Mountain Trail
4.6 mi · ▲ 1,072 ft · 2 hr 4 min
Elevation 4,425–5,185 ft
Out & Back · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Trailhead: Balsam Mountain Trail Trailhead · 35.63362, -83.17908
Weather Sep 4: Overcast, high 80°F / low 62° · precip 12% · wind 1 mph · sunrise 7:08 AM · sunset 7:58 PM
Horses allowed on the whole route
- Start on Balsam Mountain Trail, heading NE.
- 50 ftPass Pin Oak Gap.
- 2.3 miReach Beech Gap, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 2.3 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
Weather
Good to know
- Horses allowed on the whole route
More from Balsam Mountain Trail Trailhead Trailhead
- Beech Gap–Laurel Gap, 3 saddles 8.1 mi · ▲ 1,882 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Nellie, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Nellie, North Carolina