Shining Creek Trail Map

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

Shining Creek Trail Map

Route map of the Shining Creek Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Shining Creek Trailhead (US-276) -- 3,400'

The Shining Creek Trailhead is located off U.S. 276 just north of where it crosses the East Fork Pigeon River (three miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway)...

Shining Creek Trailhead (US-276) -- 3,400'

A large kiosk just back from the parking area marks the lower terminus of the Shining Creek Trail...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,380'

The trail starts out passing a group of pretty campsites strung along the East Fork...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,380'

A very inauspicious start to what will become one of Pisgah's more difficult trails...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,400'

The trail is climbing steadily, but only gradually, by this point...a good grade to warm up on before the more strenuous climb ahead...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,450'

Bumping up against a tiny and aptly-named Dry Branch...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,500'

The grade begins to steepen...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,550'

Climbing away from Dry Branch the trail ascends through a couple steep switchbacks...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,600'

The moderate climb continues as the path nears its junction with the Old Butt Knob Trail...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,640'

Looking through the trees, across the East Fork Valley, towards the Pisgah Ridge...

Shining Creek/Old Butt Knob Trail Junction -- 3,680'

After a brief steep stretch the trail emerges from the rhododendron at its junction with the Old Butt Knob Trail, which arrives on the right...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,680'

The Grassy Cove Ridge rises through the trees ahead as the Old Butt Knob Trail is passed...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,660'

Directly across the valley is the rugged and trail-less Raven Cliff Ridge...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,640'

The trail now makes a brief descent towards Shining Rock Creek...this is also the last downhill grade the route will treat you to...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,660'

Nearing the creek under thick cover of rhododendron...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,700'

Pulling up alongside Shining Rock Creek itself. This wild stream will be a close companion for the remainder of the trails climb up the ridge...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,750'

The surroundings are already becoming markedly steeper and more rocky...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,800'

A bonus of gaining some elevation is escaping the tight rhododendron confines of the valley floor...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,820'

Though the trail is remarkably clear there is still the occasional fallen tree to hop over...this is a designated wilderness after all...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,850'

A rocky slope above...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,880'

A pretty and secluded creek-side campsite sits far below the trail here...

Shining Creek -- 3,900'

Shining Rock Creek is a beautiful companion to have alongside on this trail...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,940'

Passing through another large slide area...

Shining Creek Trail -- 3,960'

There are numerous photo-worthy cascades to be seen along the creek below, should you have the time and/or energy to scramble down to any of them...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,000'

One only has to glace up ahead to be reminded how much climbing remains...the ridge top where the trail is headed to is still almost 2,000 vertical feet above...

Shining Creek -- 4,020'

Pulling up along the creek for the first time in a while, near a particularly pretty little cascade...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,040'

About a mile-and-a-quarter above the Old Butt Knob junction the trail crosses the small log-cluttered stream draining Daniels Cove on the south slopes of Old Butt Knob. This is one of the more difficult sections of the Shining Creek Trail to navigate. Just shoot straight across, the path is once again easy to pick out on the far side...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,050'

Beyond the stream crossing, below Daniels Cove, the grade once again ticks up a notch...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,100'

You can now enjoy some (seasonal) views through the trees back down the valley. Visible is Chestnut Ridge, an eastern extension of Old Butt Knob...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,140'

A brief but wonderful bit of flat trail along the creek...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,160'

The valley is narrowing considerably at this point...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,240'

The grade continues to steepen...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,300'

Despite all the climbing, you may find yourself wondering why the top of ridge looks no closer...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,350'

A jagged cluster of rock juts from the slope above...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,380'

Curving upward through the open woods...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,420'

Passing through yet another old slide...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,460'

As you can see, the trail has once again gained a considerable amount of elevation above the creek...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,500'

The grind is fairly relentless...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,540'

A sign you are making gradual progress is evidenced in the increasing number of high-elevation conifers beginning to mix into the surrounding forest...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,560'

Shining Rock Gap (where the trail is headed) now makes its first appearance through the trees ahead. Only another 1,200 feet of climbing to go...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,600'

These old slides are becoming a fairly common sight, by this point...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,650'

A tiny, delicate tributary cascades down over the trail from above...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,680'

One of the more interesting aspects of this trail is witnessing the ever-shrinking nature of Shining Rock Creek the higher one climbs...at this point a single hop could just about take you across it...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,700'

Climbing steeply through increasingly large boulders...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,750'

Easing up briefly...

Shining Creek Trail -- 4,800'

The creek continues to offer a source of enjoyment and distraction from the work at hand...