Appalachian Trail: Brown Gap to Max Patch
Go 6.9 miles on the Blue Ridge, mostly tracing the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, to one of the largest balds in the Southern Appalachians.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
The summit of Max Patch might be the best picnic spot for a Blue Ridge sunset. This 6.9-mile route traces the NC/TN border along birch- and larkspur-lined paths.
Trail Facts
- Distance: 5.9
Waypoints
MPM001
Location: 35.7731018066406, -82.995849609375
Ascend log steps from Brown Gap (3,500 ft.) through a hardwood forest to the ridgeline; toothwort, stonecrop, and larkspur grow at your feet
MPM002
Location: 35.7781715393066, -82.9827270507812
Drop to S side of ridgeline, where in spring the blooms of mountain laurel and pungent evergreen galax grow in this warmer, drier environment
MPM003
Location: 35.7824211120606, -82.9784164428711
Ascend back along ridgeline
MPM004
Location: 35.7892303466797, -82.9702529907226
Look S for a flat, sheltered campsite (room for 2 or 3 tents)
MPM005
Location: 35.7893600463867, -82.9636001586914
L @ Y; hillside and path with pink-striped spring beauties. Catch glimpses of Max Patch through openings between trees
MPM006
Location: 35.7922210693359, -82.9618530273438
Straight @ 4-way across Max Patch Rd. (NC 1182). Descend and cross small stream through thinly wooded hillside with yellow birch
MPM007
Location: 35.7927284240723, -82.9581909179688
Straight across grassy road; ascend SE side of bald on steep log steps
MPM008
Location: 35.7945899963379, -82.9579772949219
R @ Y; listen for Eastern towhees and field sparrows in fields below
MPM009
Location: 35.7973709106445, -82.9565963745117
Grassy summit of Max Patch (4,629 ft.) anchors SW end of Buckeye Ridge. Expansive 360-degree views of Smokies; Mt. Mitchell rises in the E. Backtrack to trailhead