Cathey's Creek Falls–Horse Cove, 7 sights
14 mi · ▲ 3,070 ft · 6 hr 12 min
Cathey's Creek Falls–Horse Cove, 7 sights is a 14-mile out-and-back near Laurel Falls, NC. The route passes Horse Cove, Cat Gap and Sandy Gap before reaching Cathey's Creek Falls at the turnaround, 7 miles in. It climbs 3,070 ft, with sections as steep as 23% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 88/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Cathey's Creek Falls–Horse Cove, 7 sights
14 mi · ▲ 3,070 ft · 6 hr 12 min
Elevation 2,322–3,694 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: Cat Gap Loop · 35.28433, -82.79055
Weather Sep 5: Overcast, high 90°F / low 71° · precip 14% · wind 1 mph · sunrise 7:07 AM · sunset 7:54 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Cat Gap Loop, heading E.
- 0.9 miTurn right, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Cat Gap Loop Trail, heading S.
- 0.2 miPass Horse Cove.
- 0.9 miPass Cat Gap.
- 200 ftBear left onto Art Loeb Trail, heading SW.
- 0.5 miPass Sandy Gap.
- 1.8 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 1.6 miBear right onto Kagle Mountain Road, heading S.
- 0.7 miSharp left onto Catheys Creek Road, heading W.
- 0.4 miSharp left, heading SE.
- 200 ftReach Cathey's Creek Falls, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.4 miSharp right onto Kagle Mountain Road, heading W.
- 0.7 miBear left, heading N.
- 1.6 miTurn right onto Art Loeb Trail, heading NE.
- 2.3 miBear right onto Cat Gap Loop Trail, heading NE.
- 1.2 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Cat Gap Loop, heading NE.
- 0.8 miBear right, heading W.
- 50 ftArrive 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
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Cat Gap Loop Trailhead
- Upper Cedar Rock Falls via Cat Gap Loop Trail 1.4 mi · ▲ 235 ft
- Horse Cove–Cat Gap Loop Trail, 3 sights 2.3 mi · ▲ 252 ft
- Butter Gap Trail 2.5 mi · ▲ 297 ft
- Cat Gap Loop 3.7 mi · ▲ 247 ft
- Cedar Rock Falls–Horse Cove Loop, 4 sights 4.4 mi · ▲ 828 ft
- Cedar Rock Mountain–Horse Cove, 7 sights 5.8 mi · ▲ 1,799 ft
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