Little Bald Mountain–Buck Spring Viewpoint, 6 sights is an 11.2-mile out-and-back near Stony Fork, NC. The route passes Buck Spring Viewpoint and Little Bald Mountain before reaching Hendersonville Reservoir at the turnaround, 5.6 miles in. It climbs 3,177 ft, with sections as steep as 66% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 59/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.
Elevation
0 mi2,454 – 5,259 ft · steepest grade: 66%11.5 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Buck Spring Trail 35.41516, -82.74876
Nearest town Stony Fork, NC
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Little Bald Mountain–Buck Spring Viewpoint, 6 sights
11.2 mi · ▲ 3,177 ft · 5 hr 19 min
Elevation 2,453–5,260 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: Buck Spring Trail · 35.41516, -82.74876
Weather Sep 5: Partly cloudy, high 78°F / low 62° · precip 19% · wind 4 mph · sunrise 7:06 AM · sunset 7:56 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Buck Spring Trail, heading SW.
- 450 ftPass Buck Spring Viewpoint.
- 0.2 miBear left, heading SE.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto Pilot Rock Trail, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Little Bald Mountain Trail, heading E.
- 50 ftPass Little Bald Mountain.
- 0.6 miBear left onto Laurel Mountain, heading E.
- 0.7 miTurn left, heading E.
- 1.2 miBear right onto Big Creek, heading NE.
- 2.6 miPass Hendersonville Reservoir.
- 150 ftTurn left onto Spencer Gap, heading N.
- 50 ftReach Little Bald Mountain, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Big Creek, heading N.
- 2.6 miBear left, heading SW.
- 1.2 miTurn right onto Laurel Mountain, heading S.
- 0.7 miBear right onto Little Bald Mountain Trail, heading N.
- 0.6 miTurn right onto Pilot Rock Trail, heading W.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Buck Spring Trail, heading NW.
- 0.1 miBear left, heading N.
- 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
79% dirt21% unspecified
Weather
Partly cloudyTemperature 78°F62°
Precip19%Wind4 mphUV7Humidity79%
Rained 0.1″ 5 days ago
Hourly temperatureRain chance
80°60°
Sunrise 7:06 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 7:56 PM
Sat
77°63°
15%
Sun
74°59°
59%
Mon
65°57°
36%
Tue
72°51°
Wed
76°52°
Thu
80°56°
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.6 mi in (~20 min). Leave by 7:15 PM for the 7:56 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:25 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp. Car visible from the viewpoint
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Buck Spring Trail Trailhead
- Mountains-to-Sea Viewpoint–Buck Spring Viewpoint, 4 sights 2.2 mi · ▲ 427 ft
- Little Bald Mountain–Buck Spring Viewpoint, 4 sights 2.5 mi · ▲ 628 ft
- 151 dh–Buck Spring Trail, 3 sights 2.8 mi · ▲ 1,169 ft
- Mount Pisgah–Buck Spring Trail, 3 sights 2.9 mi · ▲ 842 ft
- Mills River Valley Overlook (MP 404.5)–Big Ridge Overlook (MP 403.6), 8 sights 15.8 mi · ▲ 4,349 ft
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