Grassy Ridge Bald
The full Roan balds traverse from Carvers Gap over Round and Jane Bald to Grassy Ridge, the highest grassy bald in the Appalachians and the best of the June rhododendron.
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- Length
- 5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,200 ft
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route
- out-and-back
Trail conditions
No recent condition reports. Hiked it lately?
Report current conditions →Elevation
2.3 mi · 963 ft of climbing · high 6,190 ft · low 5,512 ft
Find the trailhead
Parking
Paved lot at Carvers Gap on the TN/NC line, with gravel overflow across the road. Free, no facilities beyond a seasonal privy. It fills early on June rhododendron weekends, so arrive at first light.
TN-143 / NC-261 up to the gap is not plowed in winter and can close for snow and ice.
Directions to parkingWeather at the trailhead
61°FPartly cloudy now
Sunrise 6:10 AM · Sunset 8:45 PM
- TodayFog70° / 60°F25% precip
- SatFog70° / 58°F12% precip
- SunRain67° / 56°F81% precip
Forecast from Open-Meteo. Mountain conditions change fast; check again before you go.
This is the longer sibling of the Round Bald to Jane Bald walk: from Carvers Gap the Appalachian Trail climbs onto the open Roan balds, crosses Round Bald and Jane Bald, then a spur leaves the AT and carries you out to Grassy Ridge. At 6,189 feet it is the highest grassy bald in the Appalachians, a broad treeless crown with views deep into Tennessee and North Carolina.
The footing is mostly gentle and grassy with a few rocky steps, and the reward grows the farther you go: the rhododendron gardens out on Grassy Ridge are the finest of the whole range and usually peak in mid to late June. There is no shelter up here. Wind, fog, and fast-moving storms are common even in summer, so pack a layer and turn back if the weather closes in.