Big Butt Trail
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Trail Overview
Difficult ridgeline hike across three peaks to work off your____. Close views of Mt. Mitchell and Blacks Mountain chain. Recommended in late spring (April-June) for wildflowers carpeting the trail.
How to get there
From Johnson City, TN to southern trailhead on Blue Ridge Parkway:
- Take I-26 south into North Carolina.
- Take Exit 18 (Weaverville).
- Follow US-19 south.
- Turn left/east onto SR-1003 (Reems Creek Road) for just over three miles.
- Turn right/east onto Ox Creek Road.
- Turn left/east onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for 8 miles to around MM 359 (Walker Knob Overlook/Balsam Gap).
From Johnson City, TN to northern trailhead at Highway NC-197 Cane River Gap:
- Take I-26 south into North Carolina.
- Take Exit 15 (Jupiter / Barnardsville).
- Take NC-197 left.
- Follow NC-197 15 miles to trailhead. NOTE last 4 miles is gravel road but in excellent condition.
- Trailhead on Buncombe / Yancey County line. Yancey side of NC-197 is paved while Buncombe side is not.
- Park on grass and don't block gate.
Route Description
The white-blazed Big Butt Trail follows the below general route. Note that the Mountains-to-Sea Trail also shares the Walker Knob Overlook (formerly called Balsam Gap) trailhead, but has white circle blazes.
| Distance (mi) | Elevation (ft) | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 5320 | Trailhead at Walker Knob Overlook/Balsam Gap |
| 0.4 | Brush Fence Ridge | |
| 1.6 | 5715 | Point Misery |
| 2.3 | Little Butt | |
| 3 | 5920 | Big Butt, also known as Yeates Knob |
| 6 | Highway NC-197 Cane River Gap |
The hike north for first couple of miles from the parking lot is moderately easy ridgeline trail. The climbs are for two Butt peaks. Returning from here will encounter a steeper climb at Point Misery. Otherwise, the trail drops down to NC-197 on a rarely used path – thus has been called a bushwack.
Typical Conditions
http://nchighpeaks.org/ maintains trail and is in excellent condition from start to finish. Outdated online trip reports give impression of poor trail. Been cleaned up and improved in recent years and is a delight to hike. Stairs installed on steep climbs in gap between Little Butt and Point Misery. Summit trail junction is hard to locate as it's not marked but the trail itself is also in excellent condition. No views from the summit of Big Butt.
Fees, Permits, etc.
Dogs are allowed, but must be on leash.
Southern trailhead inaccessible in winter as Blue Ridge Parkway closed.
After the Hike
Misc. Information
Link to Carolina Mountain Club’s description from Blue Ridge Parkway to Big Butt and back [1]
Big Butt Forest Service Trail #161 [2] description includes directions to north end trailhead.
Best trail write-up found cnyhiking.com site
Maps
Photos
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