Buck Spring Trail (#104)
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Route map of the Buck Spring Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...
Route map of the Buck Spring Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...
Buck Spring Trailhead @ US-276 -- 3,700'
The Buck Spring Trailhead is seen here on the right, at a large pulloff along US-276. This spot is about 2.3-miles south of where 276 crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway...
The Buck Spring Trail as it arrives at US-276...
The trail immediately makes a moderate, but short, descent from the highway...
Soon the terrain all but completely flattens out...
Looking down the steep neighboring slope...
Though jaw-dropping scenery might be in short supply on this trail, it's still hard to not consider the beauty of what does surround it at times...
The trail as it nears its crossing of Bearwallow Brook (eastbound)...
About 1/3-mile from US-276 the trail makes this pretty rock-hop of Bearwallow Brook...
The trail as it crosses between the drainages of Barnett Branch and Bearwallow Brook...
About midway between US-276 and the MST, the Buck Spring Trail crosses a tiny tributary in-between a pair of small but beautiful cascades...
Unnamed Tributary of Barnett Branch -- 3,710'
The tiny cascade just upstream of the crossing is particularly pretty, with the creek squeezing between a pair of large boulders...
Winding along the side of the ridge...
The trail as it rounds the shoulder of the ridge to the west of Barnett Branch...
The trail now climbs, though only slightly, as it winds its way along the steep side of the ridge...
Looking up the neighboring hillside as the trail nears its junction with the MST from the west...
Buck Spring/Mountains-to-Sea Trail Junction -- 3,780'
Just under a mile east of US-276 the Buck Spring Trail (left) meets the Mountains-to Sea Trail (MST, right). From this point west, the Buck Spring Trail and MST coincide for next 5.2-miles to the Pisgah Inn. Note, however, this stretch of trail is only marked as the MST so you won't see any more references on signs for the Buck Spring Trail from here on out...
Buck Spring/Mountains-to-Sea Trail -- 3,780'
Immediately west of the junction, the trail crosses another major tributary of Barnett Branch...
Buck Spring/Mountains-to-Sea Trail -- 3,780'
Looking back on the junction of the MST (right) and the Buck Spring Trail (left), where the two trails begin coinciding...
Buck Spring/Mountains-to-Sea Trail -- 3,780'
Heading down the ridge to the east of the tributary now...
Buck Spring/Mountains-to-Sea Trail -- 3,790'
A slightly overgrown stretch of trail, not a common occurrence along this route...
Buck Spring/Mountains-to-Sea/Barnett Branch Trail Junction -- 3,800'
Within a quarter-mile of the Buck Spring/MST junction, the coinciding trails pass by the north end of the Barnett Branch Trail, which heads south from here to cross the Pink Beds...
Buck Spring/Mountains-to-Sea/Barnett Branch Trail Junction -- 3,800'
Looking westbound as the trail passes its junction with the Barnett Branch Trail (left)...