Old Butt Knob Trail
At A Glance
3.6 mi one-way
Difficulty Rating: 3.6 
Steepness: Climbs Steeply
Tread Condition: Moderately Rough
Blaze Color: None
Trail Number: 332
Description
This trail follows Chestnut Ridge and crosses several knobs that provide nice views of the surrounding Shining Rock Wilderness. In the first half mile after leaving Shining Creek Trail, it climbs very steeply, gaining about 1,400 feet of elevation, before becoming somewhat less strenuous for the remainder of the climb to the top of Old Butt Knob. The trail ends at Shining Rock Gap, where the Art Loeb (#146), Ivestor Gap (#101), and Shining Creek (#363) trails can be accessed; Shining Creek Trail may be used for a loop hike back to the parking area.
Intersecting Trails
This trail is located in the Shining Rock Wilderness area. For a list of all the trails in that area, see the Shining Rock Wilderness trails list page.
GPS Map
Map Information
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Ratings
Average Rating: 3.8 (rated 4 times)
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Kevin said: Took it from the Art Loeb trail. The trail head is not where maps are showing it, it's slightly more north, going directly over Shining Rock. The climb to the top of Old Butt Knob wasn't very difficult, however I found the summit to be underwhelming as vegetation prevented any sort of view. After the summit, as you descend Chestnut Ridge there are a few places to stop and enjoy a beautiful view. The decent along the ridge is very steep.
Rick M said: Nice trail with some great views along the way. Ends up at the rock. If you're coming up from the river the trailhead can be hard to find - on 1/13/14 the rock cairn wasn't there but a pink ribbon was. Steep climb but some amazing views along the way. The section from Old Butt over to Shining Rock was nice, lots of interesting terrain.
Patrick said: This is a great trail to the summit of Shining Rock. Comes out right at the rock. This is one of the most challenging trails in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area due to the grade.