Butter Gap Trail Map

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

Butter Gap Trail Map

Route map for the Butter Gap Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Butter Gap/Art Loeb Trail West Junction -- 3,320'

This is the western junction of the Art Loeb and Butter Gap Trails. The Art Loeb goes right here and the Butter Gap goes left. They come back together, as you'll see, in another quarter-mile at Butter Gap itself. Somewhat confusing but, for the purposes of this album...this is the southern terminus of the Butter Gap Trail...

Butter Gap Trail -- 3,300'

From its western junction with the Art Loeb, the Butter Gap Trail starts a gradual descent along and just below the north side of the ridge...

Butter Gap/Art Loeb Trail East Junction (Butter Gap) -- 3,300'

A quarter-mile from the western junction the trail reaches its eastern junction with the Art Loeb Trail, at Butter Gap itself...

Butter Gap/Art Loeb Trail East Junction (Butter Gap) -- 3,300'

At Butter Gap the Butter Gap Trail goes left (north), out of frame here. The Art Loeb arrives on the right and turns straight ahead in this shot. The path on the left, I believe, is an unofficial trail which heads up towards Cedar Rock...

Butter Gap/Art Loeb Trail East Junction (Butter Gap) -- 3,300'

The Butter Gap Trail as it departs Butter Gap, heading north...

Butter Gap Trail -- 3,200'

Leaving Butter Gap the trail now begins a moderately steep descent above a narrow ravine...

Butter Gap Trail -- 3,150'

Before long the trail makes a hop across the uppermost waters of Grogan Creek...

Butter Gap Trail -- 3,120'

On this nice stretch the trail closely follows the yet-tiny creek under a low canopy of rhododendron...

Butter Gap Trail -- 3,080'

In a couple spots, bare rock could force a slow down in wet or icy conditions...

Butter Gap Trail -- 3,020'

A typical Pisgah forest scene...hills covered in hardwoods with a thick blanket of rhododendron underneath...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,950'

Hopping another small tributary of Grogan Creek...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,900'

Here the trail passes through an old grove of now-dead hemlocks...a sad but common sight in these parts...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,860'

Pushing through the dog hobble and rhodo...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,840'

Another quick rock-hop...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,820'

The lower the trail gets, the more the pines start to fill in the canopy overhead...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,820'

There are numerous bent and broken trees to be seen along this stretch...caused by a recent winter storm (when this shot was taken), the forest will no doubt recover quickly...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,800'

Passing through a stately grove of pines...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,780'

As the trail approaches Grogan Creek Falls from the north its surroundings begin to fill in with rhododendron...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,760'

Cutting through the rhododendron...

Butter Gap Trail -- 2,740'

The trail passes this nice, large campsite just north of Gragan Creek Falls...

Butter Gap Trail @ Grogan Creek Falls -- 2,720'

Though there's no sign marking the scramble path down to the falls, you can see the cascade through the trees so if you're paying attention it's hard to miss...

Grogan Creek Falls -- 2,700'

Grogan Creek Falls, at 20' high, has to be one of the most underrated waterfalls in the area. It's small, yes, but I still feel its one of the more aesthetically pleasing cascades I've ever seen...