Hawksbill Mountain

File:Placeholder.gif Trail Name Hawksbill Mountain Nearest City Burke County State North Carolina Trail Marking Trail Use/Features Difficulty Rating Medium Hiking Time *"*" is not a number. Distance, round-trip 55 mi <br />8.047 km <br /> Climb/Descent Elevation 2,000 ft609.6 Meters <br /> / {{{Elevation Loss}}}"{{{Elevation Loss}}}" is not a number. High Point *"*" is not a number. Nearest Medical Spruce Pine, NC Trip Reports Click Here Loading map... {"type":"ROADMAP","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"270px","height":"180px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":8,"layers":[],"controls":["zoom"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":35.9279820000000000845830072648823261260986328125,"lon":-81.913375999999999521605786867439746856689453125,"icon":""}]} Show Large Map

Trail Overview

Steep trail to top of spectacular cliffs overlooking Linville Gorge Wilderness area and much of western North Carolina

How to get there

From Elizabethton, TN:

1. Turn onto US 19E/US 321 towards Hampton, TN.
2. Continue straight on US 19E about 20 miles. (No turn - First NC 194 joins US 19E coming in from the left.)
3. In a short distance, US 19E turns right and NC 194 continues straight. Go straight on NC 194 about 11 miles (through Newland, NC) to its junction with US 221.
4. Turn left onto US 221 north for about 1 mile to Pineola, NC and junction with NC 181.
5. Turn right on NC 181 and proceed south for about 8 miles. (No turn. Note mileage where NC 183 intersects.)
6. About 3 miles south on NC 181 from the intersection with NC 183 turn right on the second intersection with Gingercake Road.
7. In 0.3 miles take the left fork, Table Rock Road. Pavement ends in 0.9 miles and road is USFS 210.

The trailhead for Hawskbill Mtn. is on left, 1.7 miles after pavement ends. There is a sign. Two miles farther on is the trailhead for Table Rock Trail. It is signed for Spence Ridge Trail which descends into the gorge straight from the parking lot.

The trail to Table Rock begins to the lefton an old road paralleling the road you came in but rising above it. Soon a clearing is reached where the trail turns left onto the blazed Mountain to sea trail which rises to the final summit trail to Table Rock which leads left.

Route Description

The Hawksbill Trail has a sign, is short, and obviously uphill. It does intersect with the Ridge Trail with the route to the top turning left short of the intersection. There are several rocky, open areas with the high point over a tremendous overhang.

The Trail to Table Rock starts at the signed Spence Ridge Trail Head. Do not take Spence Ridge Trail. Rather take the trail on old road which parallels Table Rock Road and then turns right at the intersection with the Mountains to Sea Trail in about a quarter mile. Go right on the Mountains to Sea Trail for about a mile and take a very sharp switchback onto the Table Rock Summit Trail. There are a number of branches all leading to the top in a short distance. It is more confusing coming down but if you go the wrong way it will just take you back to the top.

Photos

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