Bennett Gap Trail Map

Route map of the Bennett Gap Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...

Bennett Gap Trail Map

Route map of the Bennett Gap Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Bennett Gap North Trailhead (F.R. 477) -- 3,500'

Bennett Gap marks the spot where Forest Road 477 breaks the crest of the ridge lining the east side of the Avery Creek Valley. The Bennett Gap Trail departs south from the gap at a point 2.4-miles south of F.R. 477's northern junction with US-276 or 4.8-miles north of its southern junction with US-276...

Bennett Gap North Trailhead (F.R. 477) -- 3,500'

The Bennett Gap Trail as it leaves its namesake gap (and F.R. 477) heading south...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,520'

The Bennett Gap Trail begins southbound with a moderate, and brief, climb to the top of the ridge...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,560'

Entering a cathedral-like forest just south of Bennett Gap...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,580'

The oddest feature of this trail might be this, a random open ridge top field, located about halfway between Bennett Gap and Overlook Rock. The USFS is obviously maintaining it as a clearing...perhaps for wildlife, perhaps for rescues...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,580'

Despite its large size, tall trees line the field in all directions. This means that there are little to no views to be had aside from broken ones like this in the winter...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,570'

Looking back across the open field as the trail re-enters the forest on its south end...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,560'

Another "canyon of trees"...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,540'

Soon the ridge begins to narrow as the trail nears the knife-edge portion containing Overlook Rock...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,520'

Laurels press in tight as the trail begins its trip across the knife-edge ridge north of Saddle Gap...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,520'

The Bennett Gap Trail as it arrives at the upper viewpoint of Overlook Rock...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Upper Overlook -- 3,520'

Looking Glass Rock as seen from the upper viewpoint of Overlook Rock...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Upper Overlook -- 3,520'

Pisgah's trio of famous plutons are front and center from the upper viewpoint. Looking Glass Rock (3,969') is closest, with Cedar Rock Mountain (4,056') rising to the left and John Rock (3,320') doing its best to hide beneath it...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Upper Overlook -- 3,520'

A pluton panorama...the incredible view west from the upper overlook...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Upper Overlook -- 3,520'

A tightly zoomed shot of Cedar Rock Mountain (4,056') with John Rock (3,320') tucked into the forest beneath it...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Upper Overlook -- 3,520'

Immediately to the south is the next summit, Coontree Mountain (3,500'), which the trail will pass over as it continues south along the ridge...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,500'

From the upper overlook the trail continues its descent along the narrow ridge under dense laurel cover...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,460'

About halfway between the overlooks the trail drops down this ten foot series of ledges. This must be an interesting spot to be on a mountain bike...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,420'

What you see here is pretty much the sum-total width of the ridge along this stretch. If it weren't for the dense laurel to each side this would be a dizzying bit of trail...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,420'

A break in the laurel on the right does a nice job of framing nearby Looking Glass Rock...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Overlook Rock -- 3,440'

The Bennett Gap Trail as it arrives at the small ledge unofficially named Overlook Rock...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Overlook Rock -- 3,450'

From the top of the ledge along the trail at Overlook Rock is this partial panorama looking east across the valley of Avery Creek...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Overlook Rock -- 3,450'

A zoomed look east of Clawhammer Mountain (left; 4,120') and Black Mountain (right; 4,286')...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Overlook Rock -- 3,450'

Below the ledge of Overlook Rock is a more restricted opening between the pines with the view in the following pictures...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Overlook Rock -- 3,450'

The view from the lower overlook faces more northerly, with a great look up towards the massive Pisgah Ridge...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Overlook Rock -- 3,450'

The bare summit of Black Balsam Knob (6,214') can be seen clearly in this more tightly zoomed shot from the lower overlook...

Bennett Gap Trail @ Overlook Rock -- 3,450'

Another shot of the ledges comprising Overlook Rock along the Bennett Gap Trail...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,450'

Heading south from Overlook Rock between moss-covered pines...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,440'

This is a beautiful stretch of ridge, with its pine and laurels...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,400'

This shot looks down the rather precipitous drop that the Bennett Gap Trail makes into Saddle Gap from the north...

Bennett Gap/Perry Cove Trail Junction (Saddle Gap) -- 3,350'

At Saddle Gap the Bennett Gap Trail is joined by the Perry Cove Trail arriving sharply in from the east. This view looks back north up the steep section of trail pictured in the previous shot...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,380'

Another short but steep climb now begins as the trail continues southbound from Saddle Gap up towards Coontree Mountain...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,400'

The trail begins climbing from Saddle Gap on the steep, shaded east slopes of Coontree Mountain...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,420'

It's a moderately strenuous, but nonetheless pretty, climb...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,450'

The trail doesn't actually cross the summit of Coontree Mountain, but rather passes just below it to the east. It's no matter though as the summit is as thickly wooded as any other around this area...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,440'

The trail as it curves around from the east to the south side of Coontree's summit...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,400'

Looking back up toward the wooded summit of Coontree Mountain from the south...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,380'

From here (with one minor exception) it's all downhill for the mile-and-a-half to the south end of the trail...

Bennett Gap Trail -- 3,350'

The slopes here are covered in a thick carpet of hill cane, which is much prettier during the greener seasons...

Bennett Gap/Coontree Loop Trail North Junction -- 3,300'

Here the Bennett Gap and Coontree Loop Trail (arriving up from US-276 to the west) begin to coincide for the next half-mile...

Bennett Gap/Coontree Loop Trail North Junction -- 3,300'

Looking back at the north junction of the Coontree Loop and Bennett Gap Trails, which now coincide for the next half-mile...

Bennett Gap/Coontree Loop Trail -- 3,300'

One last little uphill climb (the minor exception in the descent to the southern trailhead mentioned earlier)...

Bennett Gap/Coontree Loop Trail -- 3,320'

The laurel-covered ridge top...

Bennett Gap/Coontree Loop Trail -- 3,300'

Now it will be all downhill to the southern trailhead...

Bennett Gap/Coontree Loop Trail -- 3,200'

The drop into Coontree Gap from the north is moderately steep and horribly eroded. This is perhaps the ugliest stretch along the entire length of the trail...

Bennett Gap/Coontree Loop Trail -- 3,100'

A huge fallen tree provides some trailside art...