AT - Little Rock Knob

Trail Name AT - Little Rock Knob Nearest City Roan Mountain State Tennessee Trail Marking AT White Rectangle Trail Use/Features Difficulty Rating Easy Hiking Time 33 Hours <br />0.188 Days <br />180 Min <br /> Distance, round-trip 4.44.4 mi <br />7.081 km <br /> Climb/Descent Elevation 825825 Feet <br />251.46 Meters <br /> / {{{Elevation Loss}}}"{{{Elevation Loss}}}" is not a number. High Point 4,9254,925 Feet <br />1,641.667 Yards <br />1,501.14 Meters <br /> Nearest Medical Elizabethton, TN 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":36.136650000000003046807250939309597015380859375,"lon":-82.140929999999997335180523805320262908935546875,"icon":""}]} Show Large Map

Trail Overview

Hike along the Appalachian Trail through hardwood forest to great views at Little Rock Knob (elevation 4918').

How to get there

From Kingsport, TN

1. Take I-26 south to Exit 24 for US-321/TN-67 toward Elizabethton.
2. Continue through Elizabethton and right at traffic light to stay on US-321 South.
3. At Hampton, stay on US19E as it veers right.
4. At Roan Mountain, turn right onto TN-143. Pass through Roan Mountain State Park.
5. After just over five miles, turn right onto Cove Creek Road.
6. Veer right after a mile to stay on Hughes Gap Road.
7. At the state line, there is a small (four car) pull-off on right.

Allow an hour travel time for this drive.

(Alternatively at Steps 2-3, once just inside Elizabethton city limits, turn right on TN-362, then right again and follow Gap Creek Rd for 8 miles to US19E, thus bypassing around Elizabethton and Hampton.)

The AT Trail Guides states that: "Overnight parking cars at Hughes Gap is not advised, because of problems with vandalism."

Route Description

Follow the white AT blazes trail southbound (which is heading compass north) up along the dirt path. The formerly difficult climb has been replaced with several excellently designed switchbacks. Pace was roughly 2 mph in both directions with a young family. Best distant views will be had when the leaves are down.

Typical Conditions

Maintained Appalachian Trail, so follow the white blazes. The path sometimes narrows through rhododendron thickets, but generally is good condition.

Fees, Permits, etc.

No permits or fees required. If camping, use one of the two existing sites to minimize impact. First with open space for several tents was roughly 0.4 miles in. Second was up on Little Rock Knob with space for a couple of tents.

Maps

Note: Google Maps shows an older, simplified version of the AT route on its maps. Current red line was measured after the relocations were made, thus a better representation. <googlemap version="0.9" lat="36.145" lon="-82.145" height="525" type="terrain" zoom="15" scale="yes" icons="http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/marker{label}.png"> http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/AT_-_Hughes_Gap_to_Little_Rock_Knob.kml

(A) 36.13665,-82.14093 Parking at Hughes Gap (E) 36.14993,-82.15008 Overlook </googlemap>

Photos

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  Looking over edge