Milepost 401 South of Bent Creek Gap (79ff0f04-2939-4ac2-afb0-c7da8fb95c65).JPG
National Park Service · Public domain

Cold Knob–Bent Creek Gap Road, 4 sights is a 7.6-mile out-and-back near Beaverdam, NC. The route reaches Cold Knob at the turnaround, 3.8 miles in. It climbs 1,448 ft, with sections as steep as 27% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 3/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi3,087 – 3,612 ft · steepest grade: 27%7.8 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Trace Ridge 35.45353, -82.68169
Nearest town Beaverdam, NC

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Cold Knob–Bent Creek Gap Road, 4 sights

7.6 mi · ▲ 1,448 ft · 3 hr 15 min

Elevation 3,089–3,614 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: Trace Ridge · 35.45353, -82.68169

Weather Sep 5: Overcast, high 86°F / low 68° · precip 17% · wind 4 mph · sunrise 7:07 AM · sunset 7:54 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Trace Ridge, heading SE.
  2. 0.3 miSharp left onto Spencer Gap, heading NW.
  3. 1.9 miSharp left, heading S.
  4. 0.6 miTurn left onto Wash Creek Road, heading SE.
  5. 0.7 miTurn left onto Bent Creek Gap Road, heading E.
  6. 100 ftTurn right onto Shut-In Trail, heading E.
  7. 400 ftBear right onto pine mountain trail, heading NE.
  8. 100 ftBear left onto cold knob boundary trail, heading NE.
  9. 0.3 miReach Cold Knob, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  10. 0.3 miBear right onto pine mountain trail, heading W.
  11. 50 ftBear left onto Shut-In Trail, heading SW.
  12. 450 ftTurn left onto Bent Creek Gap Road, heading SW.
  13. 50 ftTurn right onto Wash Creek Road, heading W.
  14. 0.7 miTurn right, heading S.
  15. 0.6 miSharp right, heading NW.
  16. 0.6 miContinue straight onto Spencer Gap, heading W.
  17. 1.3 miSharp right onto Trace Ridge, heading W.
  18. 0.3 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

61% dirt39% unspecified

Weather

OvercastTemperature 86°F68°
Precip17%Wind4 mphUV7Humidity75%
Hourly temperatureRain chance
90°65° 1 AM: 2% rain10 AM: 1% rain11 AM: 1% rain12 PM: 4% rain1 PM: 5% rain2 PM: 9% rain3 PM: 11% rain4 PM: 14% rain5 PM: 16% rain6 PM: 17% rain7 PM: 7% rain8 PM: 9% rain9 PM: 6% rain10 PM: 8% rain11 PM: 11% rain
Sunrise 7:07 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 7:54 PM
Sun 80°64° 67%
Mon 70°60° 59%
Tue 76°55°
Wed 81°56°
Thu 83°60° 23%
Fri 78°61° 42%

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

More from Trace Ridge Trailhead