Bald River Trail

Tennessee

Tennessee

Free — you'll pick up right here.

4.4 mi

Distance

2,642 ft

Gain

2h 16m

Time

No verdict for this trail

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

  • Inside Cherokee National Forest

    3 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.

    Boundary data

What's missing

  • No access route mapped

    We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.

Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.

Why you'll love it

Through-trail
Big climb
Out & back

Here's your day, mapped

Bald River Trail

Suggested plan · check conditions before you go

Building your full AI plan…

Meals

Building your meal plan…

Gear for the day

Building your gear list…

Elevation & route

Distance
4.4 mi
Elevation gain
2,642 ft
Elevation loss
2,642 ft
Highest point
1,962 ft
Lowest point
1,402 ft
More about this trail ↓

Photos

Directions & GPX

Get Directions

Permits & access

Managing agency
Forest Service
Dogs
unknown
Bikes
no

About this trail

Bald River Trail is an 8.84-mile out-and-back hike in Tennessee with 2,642 feet of elevation gain and loss. The trail reaches a maximum elevation of 1,962 feet.

Facts about this trail

The climb

Starts at
1,402 ft
High point
1,962 ft
Total climbing
2,642 ft
Total descent
2,642 ft
Steepest stretch
14% grade around mile 0.3 on the way out
Length (round trip)
8.8 mi
Shape
Out and back

Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)

Where it is

Managed by
Forest Service

Source: Wilderness.net boundaries; USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1

Conditions

Active alerts for Tellico Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Add to a trip & share

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

NORTH FORK OF CITICO TRAILPhoto: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

NORTH FORK OF CITICO TRAIL

~13 min drive

10.36-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee with 3,486 ft elevation gain and loss.

FODDERSTACK MOUNTAINPhoto: MichaelGras, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

FODDERSTACK MOUNTAIN

~14 min drive

20.9-mile out-and-back trail in North Carolina with 5,003 ft elevation gain and loss.

Benton Mackaye -Cheoah RdPhoto: pseabolt, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Benton Mackaye -Cheoah Rd

~14 min drive

2.40-mile out-and-back trail in North Carolina with 1,159 ft gain.

Hooper BaldPhoto: MichaelGras, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hooper Bald

~17 min drive

0.82-mile out-and-back trail at Hooper Bald in North Carolina with 117 ft of elevation gain.

HuckleberryPhoto: wordjunky, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Huckleberry

~18 min drive

A challenging 1.82-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee's Buffalo Mountain Park, ideal for experienced hikers seeking a difficult backcountry experience.

Snowbird MountainPhoto: pseabolt, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Snowbird Mountain

~15 min drive

A challenging 28.88-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee connecting multiple branches and creeks through Snowbird Mountain's backcountry network.

SOUTH FORK OF CITICO TRAILPhoto: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

SOUTH FORK OF CITICO TRAIL

~13 min drive

14.92-mile out-and-back trail in Tennessee with 4,726 ft elevation gain and loss.

Mitchell LickPhoto: pseabolt, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Mitchell Lick

~18 min drive

A 4.82-mile out-and-back Tennessee trail connecting to Big Snowbird, King Meadows, and Snowbird Creek trails.

Wright's CreekPhoto: MichaelGras, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Wright's Creek

~21 min drive

0.31-mile loop trail in North Carolina with 14 ft of elevation gain.

Middle Falls

~21 min drive

Easy 2.15-mile out-and-back trail in North Carolina with 521 ft elevation gain.