Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Pretty Hollow Gap & Baxter Creek Trail

15.8 mi · ▲ 5,029 ft · 7 hr 47 min

Pretty Hollow Gap & Baxter Creek Trail is a 15.8-mile out-and-back in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Crestmont, NC. The route reaches Pretty Hollow Gap at the turnaround, 7.9 miles in. It climbs 5,029 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 92/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi1,677 – 5,840 ft · steepest grade: 19%15.9 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Big Creek Horse Trailhead 35.75392, -83.10811
Nearest town Crestmont, NC

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Pretty Hollow Gap & Baxter Creek Trail

15.8 mi · ▲ 5,029 ft · 7 hr 47 min

Elevation 1,676–5,839 ft

Out & Back · Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Trailhead: Big Creek Horse Trailhead · 35.75392, -83.10811

Weather Sep 4: Clear, high 90°F / low 72° · precip 4% · wind 4 mph · sunrise 7:08 AM · sunset 7:57 PM

Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Big Creek Group Camp, heading S.
  2. 0.2 miTurn left onto Big Creek Campground Loop Road, heading SE.
  3. 50 ftBear right onto Baxter Creek Trail, heading S.
  4. 7.7 miReach Pretty Hollow Gap, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  5. 7.7 miBear left onto Big Creek Campground Loop Road, heading N.
  6. 50 ftTurn right onto Big Creek Group Camp, heading N.
  7. 0.1 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

98% dirt2% gravel

Weather

ClearTemperature 90°F72°
Feels like83°Precip4%Wind4 mphUV7Humidity68%
Hourly temperature
90°70°
Sunrise 7:08 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 7:57 PM
Sat 92°75° 30%
Sun 87°70° 34%
Mon 80°66° 19%
Tue 86°63°
Wed 86°66°
Thu 89°69° 23%

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead