View from Buck Spring Lodge Site, Blue Ridge Parkway, Mount Pisgah, NC - 53044303547.jpg
w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0

Mountains-to-Sea Viewpoint–Buck Spring Viewpoint, 4 sights is a 9.9-mile out-and-back near Stony Fork, NC. The route passes Buck Spring Viewpoint before reaching Mountains-to-Sea Viewpoint at the turnaround, 4.9 miles in. It climbs 3,184 ft, with sections as steep as 28% grade. It scores 12/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi2,736 – 5,279 ft · steepest grade: 28%10.1 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 35.45399, -82.74121
Nearest town Stony Fork, NC

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Mountains-to-Sea Viewpoint–Buck Spring Viewpoint, 4 sights

9.9 mi · ▲ 3,184 ft · 4 hr 54 min

Elevation 2,737–5,279 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: 35.45399, -82.74121

Weather Sep 5: Partly cloudy, high 88°F / low 70° · precip 17% · wind 5 mph · sunrise 7:06 AM · sunset 7:56 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading S.
  2. 0.9 miBear left, heading SE.
  3. 0.6 miTurn right onto 151 dh, heading S.
  4. 1.2 miSharp right onto Mountains-to-Sea Trail, heading W.
  5. 1.2 miBear left onto Buck Spring Trail, heading SW.
  6. 0.3 miPass Buck Spring Viewpoint.
  7. 0.2 miBear left, heading SE.
  8. 0.1 miBear right onto Mountains-to-Sea Trail, heading S.
  9. 0.4 miReach Mountains-to-Sea Viewpoint, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  10. 0.4 miBear left onto Buck Spring Trail, heading NE.
  11. 0.1 miBear left, heading NW.
  12. 0.5 miBear right onto Mountains-to-Sea Trail, heading N.
  13. 1.2 miSharp left onto 151 dh, heading NE.
  14. 1.2 miTurn left, heading N.
  15. 0.6 miBear right, heading S.
  16. 0.9 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

45% dirt32% gravel23% unspecified

Weather

Partly cloudyTemperature 88°F70°
Precip17%Wind5 mphUV7Humidity67%
Hourly temperatureRain chance
90°70° 2 PM: 2% rain3 PM: 9% rain4 PM: 15% rain5 PM: 17% rain6 PM: 9% rain7 PM: 6% rain8 PM: 3% rain9 PM: 1% rain
Sunrise 7:06 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 7:56 PM
Sat 89°72°
Sun 84°67° 66%
Mon 73°65° 57%
Tue 80°59°
Wed 84°60°
Thu 88°64° 23%

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.6 mi in (~164 min). Leave by 4:52 PM for the 7:56 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:38 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

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