Rice Pinnacle–Goodson Rock, 10 sights is a 12-mile out-and-back near Bent Creek, NC. The route passes Lake Powhatan Beach, Mease Gap, Moors Gap and 2 more before reaching Baldwin Gap at the turnaround, 6 miles in. It climbs 1,794 ft, with sections as steep as 33% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 64/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.
Elevation
0 mi2,054 – 2,950 ft · steepest grade: 33%12.6 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Wesley Branch Trail 35.49837, -82.60725
Nearest town Bent Creek, NC
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Rice Pinnacle–Goodson Rock, 10 sights
12 mi · ▲ 1,794 ft · 4 hr 54 min
Elevation 2,054–2,950 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: Wesley Branch Trail · 35.49837, -82.60725
Weather Sep 5: sunrise 7:06 AM · sunset 7:55 PM
Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Wesley Branch Trail, heading E.
- 350 ftSharp right onto Natural Garden Trail, heading W.
- 0.4 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Running Cedar Road, heading S.
- 0.1 miTurn right onto Bent Creek Trail, heading SW.
- 1.2 miPass Lake Powhatan Beach.
- 50 ftBear right onto Hardtimes Road, heading SW.
- 300 ftTurn right, heading SW.
- 350 ftTurn right onto Hardtimes Connector, heading SW.
- 0.8 miContinue straight onto Deer Lake Lodge Trail, heading N.
- 0.2 miBear right onto Deer Lake Road, heading W.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading W.
- 350 ftBear left, heading NW.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Ledford Trail, heading NW.
- 0.5 miSharp left onto Ledford Branch Road, heading NW.
- 0.3 miSharp right, heading W.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Northern Boundary Trail, heading S.
- 300 ftPass Mease Gap.
- 50 ftBear right onto North Boundary Road, heading NW.
- 50 ftBear left onto Northern Boundary Trail, heading NW.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading N.
- 50 ftPass Moors Gap.
- 0.4 miPass Goodson Rock.
- 0.1 miPass Rice Pinnacle.
- 50 ftBear left, heading NE.
- 0.2 miTurn right, heading E.
- 0.3 miPass Baldwin Gap.
- 50 ftReach Rice Pinnacle, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 1 miBear right onto North Boundary Road, heading S.
- 50 ftBear left onto Northern Boundary Trail, heading S.
- 0.3 miSharp left onto Ledford Branch Road, heading SE.
- 0.3 miSharp right onto Ledford Trail, heading SE.
- 0.5 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 0.5 miBear right, heading S.
- 350 ftTurn right onto Deer Lake Road, heading SE.
- 0.1 miBear left onto Deer Lake Lodge Trail, heading SE.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Hardtimes Connector, heading E.
- 0.8 miTurn left onto Hardtimes Road, heading SW.
- 350 ftBear right, heading SW.
- 350 ftBear left onto Bent Creek Trail, heading SW.
- 1.2 miTurn left onto Running Cedar Road, heading E.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Natural Garden Trail, heading NE.
- 0.4 miSharp left onto Wesley Branch Trail, heading E.
- 250 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
60% dirt19% gravel21% unspecified
Weather
Sunrise 7:06 AMSunset 7:55 PM
Good to know
- Toilets at the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Wesley Branch Trail Trailhead
- Bent Creek Trail–Natural Garden Trail, 3 sights 2 mi · ▲ 143 ft
- Lake Powhatan–Lake Powhatan Beach, 5 sights 4.4 mi · ▲ 200 ft
- Natural Garden Trail–Owl Ridge Trail Loop, 5 sights 4.7 mi · ▲ 588 ft
- Natural Garden Trail–Owl Ridge Trail Loop, 5 sights 5 mi · ▲ 628 ft
- Owl Ridge Trail–Shut-In Trail, 3 sights 6.8 mi · ▲ 1,190 ft
- Lake Powhatan–Lake Powhatan Beach, 7 sights 9.6 mi · ▲ 1,033 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Bent Creek, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Bent Creek, North Carolina