Bad Fork Trail Route Map

Route Map of the Bad Fork Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...

Bad Fork Trail Route Map

Route map of the Bad Fork Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Bad Fork Trailhead @ Wash Creek Road -- 2,460'

The trailhead can be seen on the left here and, at the time I visited, was unsigned. It's at a spot where Wash Creek Road makes a sharp left bend about 2.5-miles up from the beginning of Forest Road 5000 at the North Mills River Recreation Area...

Bad Fork Trailhead @ Wash Creek Road -- 2,460'

To give even more help finding the trailhead, watch for this campsite on the left side of Wash Creek Road. The trailhead is directly across from it...

Bad Fork Trailhead @ Wash Creek Road -- 2,460'

The Bad Fork Trail as it leaves Wash Creek Road and enters the rhododendron...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,470'

The first bit of the trail is almost perfectly flat and cuts a deep trench through the thick surrounding rhododendron...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,480'

Within a couple minutes the trail pulls right up alongside its namesake stream, Bad Fork. This could be a troublesome spot to pass I'm sure if ever the stream floods...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,500'

Beginning to climb a bit under the cover of yet more rhodo...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,540'

The minor climb doesn't last long and soon things flatten out again...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,560'

Passing above an unusually large area of flats to the right...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,560'

Passing above an unusually large area of flats to the right...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,570'

Gaining elevation ever so slightly again...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,580'

At about the half mile mark the trail once again presses in alongside the creek...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,600'

One of those rare places where the man-made actually compliments the natural...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,600'

Ascending the east side of the fork now, just beyond the first bridge...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,610'

Huge downfallen trees bridge Bad Fork and an incoming tributary. Luckily, the trail doesn't cross here...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,620'

Soon after the trail does cross Bad Fork again, this time on stepping stones...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,630'

...and immediately back across again...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,640'

...and again...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,640'

Some large pines now populate the forest...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,650'

The crossings certainly helping to keep things interesting...and it is cool to see the stream gradually shrinking the higher one climbs...this is actually the last crossing of Bad Fork proper as you ascend...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,660'

On the left side of the valley now, the trail pulls up and away from Bad Fork for a time...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,670'

You can now make out the ridge ahead that the trail will soon be climbing...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,680'

Crossing one of a few small tributaries feeding into Bad Fork from the east...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,720'

You can still hear Bad Fork below but the rhodo's were do a good job of keeping you from seeing it...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,750'

The valley narrows as the trail nears the final climb to the ridge, seen ahead through the trees...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,800'

One last tiny stream to hop before the real climbing begins...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,820'

Just across the stream in the previous shot the incline increases dramatically...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,850'

A quick dip after the initial climb...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,900'

Now the serious bit of the trail begins...between here and the Blue Ridge Parkway, only a half-mile away, it climbs 400-feet...

Bad Fork Trail -- 2,980'

Out of the wet floor of the valley the rhododendron gives way to mountain laurel...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,020'

The high ridge of Pine Mountain (3,678') can be seen through the treetops as the trail briefly curves to the east...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,040'

Making the steep climb up the drainage of the tiny tributary crossed a short time earlier...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,060'

Good for erosion, yes...but an aid to climbing...no...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,120'

Occasionally you can hear traffic above signalling that the time climbing is growing short...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,150'

Curving back to the west the moderate grade continues unrelentingly...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,180'

It's hard to see in a photo but this is quite a nice winter view down the valley of Bad Fork...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,200'

This trail just doesn't let up until it reaches the top...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,250'

A solitary pine welcomes the trail to the top of the ridge...

Bad Fork Trail -- 3,270'

Guardrails above mark the upper end of the trail...

Bad Fork Trailhead @ Bent Creek Gap -- 3,280'

Here the upper end of the Bad Fork Trail is seen with the Blue Ridge Parkway being located just around the bend to the left.