Mountains to Sea Section 2 Trail
At A Glance
61.0 mi one-way
Difficulty Rating: 61 
Steepness: Hilly
Tread Condition: Moderately Rough
Blaze Color: White
Hikes That Use This Trail: Green Knob, Skinny Dip Falls, Devil's Courthouse
Description
Waterrock Knob to Pisgah Inn
From Waterrock Knob to Flat Gap, the trail follows the Blue Ridge Parkway closely at most times. It gains some distance from the motor road on the southwest slope of the ridge line from there to Haywood Gap.
From Haywood Gap to Beech Gap (NC 215), the trail enters the higher elevations of the Middle Prong Wilderness and encounters sections of beautiful spruce-fir forest. It passes the Green Mountain trail which and then a high waterfall on Mount Hardy, before entering some wildlife meadows. This segment of the Mountains to Sea Trail, combined with the Green Mountain trail to Green Knob, is one of the best hikes in the region. Portions of the trail in designated wilderness are unblazed, but generally easy to follow.
From Beech Gap (NC 215), BRP mp 423.2, to Pisgah Inn at BRP mp 408.6: this portion of the trail travels through some of the higher mountains along the Pisgah Ridge. The trail ascends to Silvermine Bald through a moist mixed northern hardwood/spruce-fir forest, then levels out and passes through a forest of predominantly spruce until reaching Black Balsam Road. It skirts Black Balsam Knob and then the Graveyard Fields area via Graveyard Ridge, before descending significantly to cross the Yellowstone Prong at Skinny Dip Falls. It ascends again toward the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Intersecting Trails
This trail is located in the Blue Ridge Parkway Section 6 area. For a list of all the trails in that area, see the Blue Ridge Parkway Section 6 trails list page.
This trail also crosses into these trailhead areas:
- Black Balsam (Trail List)
- Blue Ridge Parkway Section 5 (Trail List)
- Davidson River (Trail List)
- Graveyard Fields (Trail List)
- Middle Prong Wilderness (Trail List)
- Mills River (Trail List)
- Shining Rock Wilderness (Trail List)
All Photos from the Trail
GPS Map
Map Information
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Data Formats
KML (Google Earth)
KML is the main file type used by Google Earth. If you have Google Earth installed, clicking the KML link should open the trail or point directly in Google Earth for viewing. This is the native file format used by Google Earth, but many other map applications can use and understand KML as well, so if you're not sure which one to download, KML is a good bet.
GPX
The GPX format stands for GPS Exchange - a free, open, XML format for exchanging GPS and map data. GPX is compatible with Google Earth, many other mapping programs, and most GPS devices (such as Garmin). Load the file directly into your GPS to help find your way on your next trip!
GeoJSON
GeoJSON is a newer, lightweight data exchange format which can be used to quickly share map data and may have a smaller size than KML or GPX. Many professional mapping and GIS applications support the GeoJSON format.
About the Map
Copyright
Base Layers
Base layers provided by OpenStreetMap, the US Geological Survey, the US Forest Service, and NC OneMap. Base layer images are subject to the respective copyright policies of their owners. Base layers may not be available at all times due to system maintenance or outages.
WNCOutdoors Base Layer
The WNCOutdoors Base layer is provided by WNCOutdoors.info. It is licensed by Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.
Trail and Marker Overlays
Trail layers and downloadable data are all original works created by WNCOutdoors with guidance from a variety of sources, including ensembles of our own GPS tracks, user contributed GPS tracks, official maps and GIS data from government agencies, and field observations. WNCOutdoors data is made freely available under the Open Database License - you are free to copy and use it for any purpose under the terms of that license (summary).
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Trail Segments
Trails are often made up of several connecting paths which may have different characteristics, allowed uses, and seasons. This trail is divided into multiple segments as follows:
Mountains to Sea Trail - Balsam Gap to Licklog Gap Overlook
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 9.18 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Licklog Gap Overlook to Doubletop Mountain Overlook
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.59 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Doubletop Knob Overlook to FS 4644
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.84 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Along FS 4644
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.51 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - FS 4644 to FS 4668
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 3.68 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Along FS 4668
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.53 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - FS 4668 to FS 4666
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 3.76 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Along FS 4666
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 2.52 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - FS 4666 to FS 4665
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.37 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - FS 4665 to Haywood Gap
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.42 mi
Mountains To Sea Trail - Blue Ridge Parkway/Haywood Gap to Buckeye Gap Trail
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 2.46 mi
Mountains To Sea Trail - Buckeye Gap Trail to Green Mountain Trail
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.54 mi
Mountains To Sea Trail - Green Mountain Trail to NC 215
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 2.73 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - NC 215 to Devil's Courthouse Connector
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.89 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Devil's Courthouse Connector to Little Sam
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.26 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Little Sam to Art Loeb
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.9 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Art Loeb - Silvermine Bald to Black Balsam Rd.
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.09 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Art Loeb - Black Balsam Road to Split
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 73 ft
Mountains to Sea Trail - Art Loeb to Graveyard Ridge
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.5 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Graveyard Ridge Both Ends
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.23 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Graveyard Ridge to GFields Connector
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.44 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - GFields Connector to Skinny Dip Falls
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.43 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Skinny Dip Falls to BRP LGR Overlook Spur
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.3 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - BRP LGR Overlook Spur to Bridges Camp Gap Trail
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.35 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Bridges Camp Gap Trail to US 276
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 4.39 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - US 276 to Buck Spring Trail
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 1.48 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Buck Spring Trail to Barnett Branch Trail
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.16 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - Barnett Branch Trail to Pisgah Inn
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 4.6 mi
Mountains to Sea Trail - BRP LGR Overlook Spur
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 429 ft
Total Calculated Length: 51.25 mi
This value is derived from our underlying map data, and it may not match officially published information.
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