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1.5 miles
Distance
24 ft
Climb
-268 ft
Descent
00:18:22
Avg time
-246 ft
Altitude change
2,658 ft
Altitude min
2,905 ft
Altitude max
2,905 ft
Altitude start
2,657 ft
Altitude end
-3%
Grade
-19.1%
Grade max
11.8%
Grade min
741 ft
Distance climb
1 mile
Distance down
1,841 ft
Distance flat
00:18:22
Avg time
Butter Gap Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
- Snowshoe
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
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Riding AreaPisgah Brevard Area Trails
Brevard, North Carolina -
Ref Number#123
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Difficulty Rating
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Local Popularity80 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 65 in Trail Running
- 65 in Hiking
- 5 in Snowshoeing
- 5 in Backcountry Skiing
- 5 in Nordic Skiing
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Global Ranking#43421 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #130711 in Trail Running
- #127466 in Hiking
- #3847 in Snowshoeing
- #3920 in Backcountry Skiing
- #16886 in Nordic Skiing
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State Ranking#323 in Mountain Biking · North Carolina [+]
- #1,329 in Trail Running
- #1,520 in Hiking
- #1 in Snowshoeing
- #1 in Backcountry Skiing
- #1 in Nordic Skiing
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Hiking SAC ScaleT2 Mountain Hiking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC
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DirectionBoth DirectionsPopular Direction Shown
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Climb DifficultyBlue
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Physical RatingModerate
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Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike Allowed
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Land OwnerUSFS
Beautiful scenery, fun trail. Starts in Picklesimer Fields...flat, grassy area with crystal clean streamside riding, then a fast, gradual climb, and then a stiff, technical climb up to Butter Gap. Also makes a great downhill from the gap. Passes a waterfall. Part of Picklesimer Fields Best Ride.
A portion of this trail is seasonal, the segment from the intersection of Long Branch to Cat Gap is only open for riding Oct 15 - April 15, per USFS (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recreation/recarea/?recid=48318&actid=50). This is often confused by locals who think the entire route is season, however it is not. Please do not poach this lower section during the off season as it is very popular with hikers.
Trail Supporters
USFSLand Manager
Local Trail Association
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-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 4 rides
- 13 miles average
6 Months
- 108 rides
- 17 miles avg distance
All
- 675 rides
- Last: Sep 14, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Butter Gap Trail Reports
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
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- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
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- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
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Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
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US Cell Coverage
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Activity Recordings
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Activity Recordings
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Winter Trails
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BC Backroad Status
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Directions to butter-gap trailhead
(35.259490, -82.815870)
Photos
59 more »
Videos
1 more »
mtb
5:52 |
286 |
Nov 11, 2018 , Brevard
Trail Lists
-
NC trail checkoff list150 trails -
All of Pisgah area check list 2022205 trails -
Pisgah Area SORBA Regions - All Trails
103 trails
Routes with this trail
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This 15 mile loop starts at the Fish Hatchery and aheads West on road and trail to up to the and all th...
★ 3.0 • 14 miles • 1,662 ft • 6 • Loop •
This 15 mile loop starts at the Fish Hatchery and aheads West on Davidson river road and trail to Searcy...
★ 4.0 • 19 miles • 2,577 ft • 8 •
Mainly singletrack loop for MTB
8 Reviews & Comments
jduffey63
Needs brushing. Rodos are so low you have to duck while in the saddle.
ajriding
my review got removed. why? ok, fun trail. this trail got rebuilt. Fun flowy. Not a dh trail, dont bring your dh bike. more of an xc trail with fun dh stuff.
AVLbikesarecool
This trail changed in 2024 and is not at all the same trail as it was.
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Nearby Trails
- Searcy Connector 1,699 ft
- Searcy Creek Road 1,706 ft
- Cedar Rock Trail 2,306 ft
- Butter Gap 2,441 ft
- Butter Gap Connector 2,890 ft
Pisgah Brevard Area Trails
- By markholloway
Trailforks Map Team & contributors - #39107 - 12,145 views
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