Asheville: Blackstock Knob
Get to know the Mountains-to-Sea Trail while spiking your adrenaline on this 4.8-mile dayhike among the tallest mountains east of the Mississippi.
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Mapped by Tim Johnson
Trail Facts
- Distance: 7.5
Waypoints
BGM001
Location: 35.7485008239746, -82.3339691162109
From Balsam Gap, switchback ESE on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (blazed with white dots) through mossy groves of giant spruce and Fraser fir
BGM002
Location: 35.7466201782227, -82.3261871337891
Hit rhododendron-lined ridgeline @ 6,031 ft.; pass state park border signs on L. Nuthatches and juncos chirp from trees
BGM003
Location: 35.7406616210938, -82.3221588134766
Misty views NE to Mt. Mitchell (6,684 ft.), highest peak in NC and E of the Rockies, and where NC recorded its lowest temp ever (?34°F on 1/21/85)
BGM004
Location: 35.7378005981445, -82.3184280395508
Crest Blackstock Knob (6,325 ft.), then descend on narrow path
BGM005
Location: 35.7328987121582, -82.3096771240234
Pass through grassy openings near Rainbow Gap before ascending past boulders and the peeling trunks of yellow birch
BGM006
Location: 35.7306289672852, -82.3001327514648
Evergreen needles soften trail tread. Winter wrens and other songbirds flitter through the open understory
BGM007
Location: 35.7292404174805, -82.2959213256836
Water drips over large boulder on R as trail winds down stone stairs and past small cascades
BGM008
Location: 35.7256088256836, -82.2918472290039
At grassy opening on S side of Potato Knob, look for big, flat rock for bird?s-eye view SW into the Asheville Watershed and Burnett Reservoir. Ravens caw from above
BGM009
Location: 35.7262115478516, -82.2858963012695
Level trail passes field being reclaimed by beech trees, which often keep their brown leaves through winter until buds sprout
BGM010
Location: 35.7258491516113, -82.2829666137695
Descend gradually amid hardwoods to wood stile built to keep horses from nearby steeps. Wood steps lead to Mt. Mitchell Rd. (NC 128) and parking area. Leave car here or backtrack to trailhead; MST continues NE