Trails › United States of America › North Carolina › Great Balsam Mountains

Brushy Ridge Trail

In the Great Balsam Mountains

Local route2.8 km · 1.7 miBest Mar–Nov

Next nearby hike: Avery Creek 0.7 mi · 1.1 kmExplore Great Balsam Mountains →

Blue Ridge ParkwayNational Forests in North Carolina121 Laurel Mountain · National Forests in North Carolina354 Trace Ridge · National Forests in North CarolinaAvery Creek · National Forests in North CarolinaBad Fork · National Forests in North CarolinaBear Branch · National Forests in North CarolinaBent Creek Trail · National Forests in North CarolinaBig Creek · National Forests in North CarolinaDeer Lake Lodge Trail · National Forests in North CarolinaExplorer Loop · National Forests in North CarolinaFletcher Creek · National Forests in North CarolinaFrying Pan Trail · National Forests in North CarolinaGreen's Lick Trail · National Forests in North CarolinaIngles Field Gap · National Forests in North CarolinaLower Sidehill · National Forests in North CarolinaMiddle Fork · National Forests in North CarolinaMount Pisgah Summit Trail · National Forests in North CarolinaMountains to Sea Trail · National Forests in North CarolinaNorth Boundary · National Forests in North CarolinaNorth Mills River · National Forests in North CarolinaPilot Cove · National Forests in North CarolinaPilot Rock · National Forests in North CarolinaPinetree Loop · National Forests in North CarolinaSlate Rock · National Forests in North CarolinaSpencer Gap · National Forests in North CarolinaThompson Creek · National Forests in North CarolinaNational Forests in North CarolinaBlue Ridge ParkwayPisgah Campground Trail · Blue Ridge ParkwayShut-In Nrt · Blue Ridge ParkwayEndStart5 kmN ↑

Brushy Ridge Trail other trails nearby (tap a dot to open it)

Get directions · Google MapsApple Maps

© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Full route · OpenStreetMap · Basemap: OpenFreeMap (OpenMapTiles, © OSM contributors).

7-day forecast

Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)

Best time to hike

Best months: Mar–Nov · highs 12–25 °C (54–77 °F)

  1. J6°-3°107
  2. F8°-2°119
  3. M12°1°122
  4. A17°5°106
  5. M20°10°109
  6. J24°14°128
  7. J25°16°125
  8. A25°16°126
  9. S22°12°122
  10. O17°7°89
  11. N12°2°104
  12. D7°-2°117

Average high °C · low °C · precipitation mm per month. Highlighted: best months.

How we pick months

Best months are those where the 1981–2010 average daily high is 10–27 °C (50–81 °F), the average overnight low is 0 °C (32 °F) or warmer, and average precipitation is 200 mm (7.9 in) or less. Values are long-term monthly averages for the ~1 km cell at the trail point on the map, from CHELSA V2.1 climatologies (Karger et al., CC0), not a forecast. Higher or more exposed parts of a route can be colder, wetter or snowier.

Trail facts

Mapped length
2.8 km · 1.7 mi (OSM route, Waymarked Trails)
Mountain range
Great Balsam Mountains (Blue Ridge Mountains › Appalachian Mountains; GMBA)
Nearest town
5.8 km W of Avery Creek (Buncombe County, North Carolina) · GeoNames
Park or forest
Blue Ridge Parkway
Best months
Mar–Nov
Country
United States of America
Region
North Carolina
Continent
North America
Route type
Local route
Route centre
35.4409, -82.6471
Route start
35.4493, -82.6445
OpenStreetMap
relation 7370556
How it’s scored

Hikers can rate difficulty from 1 to 10 (1 = flat, short, easy walk for anyone; 3 = gentle hills, a little effort; 5 = moderate climbs, some fitness needed; 7 = steep or long, solid fitness required; 10 = extremely strenuous or technical; long steep climbing; experienced hikers only). The community average is shown once at least 3 people have rated the trail; until then the official or computed score is used when we have one.

More trails in the Great Balsam Mountains

All 86 →

354 Trace Ridge

7.1 km · 1.7 mi · 2.7 km away

Mountains to Sea Trail

2.1 km · 2.1 mi · 3.3 km away

Pinetree Loop

2.5 km · 2.1 mi · 3.4 km away

Green's Lick Trail

3.2 km · 2.3 mi · 3.7 km away

North Mills River

2.7 km · 2.6 mi · 4.2 km away

North Boundary

7.8 km · 2.9 mi · 4.6 km away

Nearest trails

distance from the trail start

Avery Creek

0.7 mi · 1.1 km · National Forests in North Carolina

Bad Fork

0.8 mi · 1.4 km · National Forests in North Carolina

Bear Branch

1.2 mi · 1.9 km · National Forests in North Carolina

Shut-In Nrt

1.5 mi · 2.3 km · Blue Ridge Parkway

Explorer Loop

1.5 mi · 2.4 km · National Forests in North Carolina

Lower Sidehill

1.5 mi · 2.4 km · National Forests in North Carolina

All trails in North Carolina → · All 36,834 trails in United States of America →