Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Doe Knob–Buck Gap, 3 saddles
13.4 mi · ▲ 3,521 ft · 6 hr 14 min
Doe Knob–Buck Gap, 3 saddles is a 13.4-mile out-and-back in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Fontana Village, NC. The route passes Sassafras Gap and Doe Knob before reaching Buck Gap at the turnaround, 6.7 miles in. It climbs 3,521 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
Doe Knob–Buck Gap, 3 saddles
13.4 mi · ▲ 3,521 ft · 6 hr 14 min
Elevation 1,883–4,455 ft
Out & Back · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Trailhead: Lakeshore Trailhead Westside · 35.46105, -83.81105
Weather Sep 4: Fog, high 88°F / low 68° · precip 7% · wind 4 mph · sunrise 7:11 AM · sunset 8:00 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Appalachian And Lakeshore Trailhead Parking, heading S.
- 3.7 miPass Sassafras Gap.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Appalachian Trail, heading N.
- 3 miPass Buck Gap.
- 50 ftReach Doe Knob, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 6.7 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
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Lakeshore Trailhead Westside Trailhead
- Proctor Field Gap–Sassafras Gap, 4 saddles 11.2 mi · ▲ 3,633 ft
- Shuckstack–Sassafras Gap Loop, 4 sights 11.3 mi · ▲ 3,002 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Fontana Village, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Fontana Village, North Carolina