Rough Butt Bald
About
Rough Butt Bald is a summit in the Nantahala Ranger District of the National Forests in North Carolina, about 12 miles from Waynesville. It sits within national forest land, and the closest trail access nearby is Bearpen Gap, just 0.4 miles away. Within a few miles, hikers can also pick up Mst - Nantahala Rd, about 1.5 miles off. Climbers will find Victory Wall roughly 4 miles away, and Balsam Lake Lodge, at about 4.5 miles, offers pier fishing.
Summit Facts
Summit elevation
5,952 ft
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Rough Butt Bald
North Carolina
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
Where it is
- Nantahala Ranger District · Ranger district
- National Forests in North Carolina · National forest
- Nearest town
- Waynesville, North Carolina · 12 mi
Conditions
Active alerts for Nantahala Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:
Arrowood Glade Alcohol Prohibitions- Nantahala Ranger District
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Finger Lake Area Prohibitions- Nantahala Ranger District
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Connely Creek Road (NFSR 86) Closure
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Bearpen GapHiking0.4 mi
- Mst - Nantahala RdHiking1.5 mi
- Victory WallRock climbing4.3 mi
- Balsam Lake LodgePier fishing4.5 mi
- Horseshoe RockRock climbing5 mi
- Wolf Creek Lake Dispersed CampsitesCamping6 mi
- North Fork French Broad RiverCanoeing7.7 mi
- Upper Cove Creek Roadside CampsitesCamping8.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
