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Yancey County North Carolina Hiking Trails
Big Butt Trail
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Pets
must be restrained or on a leash at all times while in developed
recreation areas.
Pisgah National Forest
Length: 6.0 miles
Rating: Moderate
This trail provides views of Mt Mitchell and the surrounding valley.
The trail has not been used heavily in quite some time and thus is often
hard to follow. The trail is blazed in white. The trail begins ascending
gently in a southeasterly direction to the southern end of the Wilson
Range and begins to switchback during its elevation gain. Eventually the
trail levels out to join an old 4WD road which follows the Buncombe/Yancey
County line which is blazed in red. After a couple of miles, the trail
narrows. The trail climbs to Flat Springs Knob and then descends to Flat
Springs Gap.
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Big Butt Peak, but does go south to Little Butt Peak. the trail then climbs
again to Point Misery Peak where one can see a clear sight of Mt Mitchell
and its tower on top. The trail then follows Brush Fence Ridge, enters a
Fraser fir stand for the last .5 mile before the Balsam Gap pull off on the
Blue Ridge Parkway. Primitive camping is available near Flat Springs Gap and
Balsam Gap. |
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Directions:
From Burnsville go east on 19E for .5 mile and turn right on NC 197 at
the gas station. Follow this through Pensacola, where the road turns into
gravel. The trailhead is on the left at Cane River Gap and is marked by a
Forest Service gate. The trail starts just before this gate on the left.
No signs mark the trailhead.
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