Mountain · 1 route

Sheep Rock

3,333 ft · North Carolina

Summit
3,333 ft
Routes
1 way up

Route up Sheep Rock

  1. brown knob trailModerateabout 1,272 ft of climbing2.0 mi round tripSee the route
Map of the route up Sheep Rock, with each route's start numbered and the summit marked
brown knob trailMap © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap contributors

About Sheep Rock

Sheep Rock is a summit of 3,333 feet in the Pisgah Ranger District of the National Forests in North Carolina, about 3.8 miles from the community of Bent Creek. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Candler run from highs around 75°F in May to about 77°F in September, and that station sits roughly 1,093 feet below the summit, so temperatures on top run cooler. The closest outing is the Brown Knob Trail, about half a mile away, and the Greens Lick Trail for mountain biking is about 1.3 miles off. Within about four miles you'll also find Lake Powhatan Glamping for lake fishing and Stony Bald for rock climbing.

Forecast on Sheep Rock

Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.

Questions about Sheep Rock

How tall is Sheep Rock?

3,333 ft (1,016 m).

How many routes go to the summit of Sheep Rock?

One: brown knob trail.

Mountains nearby

More mountains in North Carolina

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: Apr–Oct. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 68–83°F and lows of 41–62°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Candler 1 W, NC weather station, 4.4 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan48° high25° low
  2. Feb52° high28° low
  3. Mar59° high34° low
  4. Apr68° high41° low
  5. May75° high50° low
  6. Jun81° high58° low
  7. Jul83° high62° low
  8. Aug82° high61° low
  9. Sep77° high55° low
  10. Oct68° high43° low
  11. Nov59° high33° low
  12. Dec51° high28° low

The station sits about 1,100 ft lower than this spot, so expect it to run cooler up here.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Bent Creek, North Carolina · 3.8 mi

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

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

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

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

Is Sheep Rock open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in National Forests in North Carolina. It doesn't name Sheep Rock, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · National Forests in North Carolina. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Sheep Rock

Best months: March–May and September–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    48° / 25°

    10 wet

  2. Feb

    52° / 28°

    10 wet

  3. Mar

    59° / 34°

    12 wet

  4. Apr

    68° / 41°

    11 wet

  5. May

    75° / 50°

    12 wet

  6. Jun

    81° / 58°

    13 wet

  7. Jul

    83° / 62°

    14 wet

  8. Aug

    82° / 61°

    13 wet

  9. Sep

    77° / 55°

    10 wet

  10. Oct

    68° / 43°

    9 wet

  11. Nov

    59° / 33°

    9 wet

  12. Dec

    51° / 28°

    10 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Candler 1 W, NC, 4.4 mi away at 2,240 ft. The station sits about 1,100 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.