Parking
Start at the Buck Spring Trailhead in the Pisgah Inn parking lot, near the large map board and Mountains-to-Sea Trail signage. The US 276 terminus is approximately 3 miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway and has room for about four vehicles.
Overview
About Buck Springs Trail
Why go
- Mostly shaded forest with wildflowers, birds, and numerous small stream crossings
- Point-to-point shuttle with food, restrooms, and supplies at the Pisgah Inn end
Heads up
- A shuttle is needed for the full through hike; the US 276 end has only a small pullout
- Uneven rocky and rooty tread, with the steepest climbing toward the Pisgah Inn end
Buck Spring Trail is a 6.2-mile point-to-point walk through Pisgah National Forest between the Pisgah Inn area on the Blue Ridge Parkway and a small US 276 pullout above Pink Beds. The stored route follows the physical corridor once from the Pisgah Inn trailhead southwest to US 276; it is not a round trip. Most hikers arrange a shuttle between the two ends.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy hike this trailMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation3,694–4,934 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
2 active Blue Ridge Parkway alerts
- ClosureNorth Carolina Helene-related closuresAvoid the closed Parkway section from MP 344.2–355.3; recreation of any kind is prohibited there.Official details
- ClosureVirginia Parkway closures and detourFollow the signed detour around the closed James River Bridge and avoid the closed Roanoke Mountain Loop. - James River Bridge (MP 63.5–63.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Buck Springs Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Ridge Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Ridge Parkway audio tourRecorded for this area
Pisgah Inn: A Lodge Above the CloudsListen
“The buildings you're seeing ahead are part of the Pisgah Inn, the classic high-elevation lodge on the Parkway. This is one of the few places with a motel and a full-service restaurant for miles.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Buck Springs Gap and Vanderbilt's Lost Lodge
- Fryingpan Tower Hike: Big Views for a Short Climb
- Mount Pisgah Trail: The Classic Summit Climb
- The Parkway's Stone-Faced Tunnels
- 277 audio storiesacross Blue Ridge Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 112 trails, 232 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…We knew we wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The narration was impeccably timed. The facts and info provided were meaningful. Without it, the trip would not have been near as awesome.”
Trail guide
Hiking Buck Springs Trail
The experience and sceneryThis is a mostly shaded forest walk along the southeast face of the ridge, with cove hardwoods,…
This is a mostly shaded forest walk along the southeast face of the ridge, with cove hardwoods, higher-elevation hardwoods, hemlock, spruce, and fir. The trail winds through coves and around ridge noses, with numerous small stream crossings and frequent wildflowers in spring and summer. Leaf-off hiking opens occasional views through the trees.
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) overlaps Buck Spring for most of the route. About a mile before US 276, watch for the split: Buck Spring turns left and west on its own easy sideslope while the MST continues uphill. The route's white blazes and the signed junction are important wayfinding cues.
Difficulty and footingThe Forest Service rates Buck Spring Trail medium.
The Forest Service rates Buck Spring Trail medium. From the Pisgah Inn end to US 276, the route trends downhill overall; hiking it in the opposite direction means climbing roughly 1,100 feet, with the steepest work near the Pisgah Inn end. Expect uneven, rocky, and rooty tread rather than a smooth park walk.
Logistics and how to hike itTrailhead: Start at the Buck Spring Trailhead in the Pisgah Inn parking lot, near the large map…
- Trailhead: Start at the Buck Spring Trailhead in the Pisgah Inn parking lot, near the large map board and Mountains-to-Sea Trail signage.
- South end: The other terminus is on US 276 approximately 3 miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway, where the Forest Service describes room for about four vehicles.
- Length: 6.2 miles one way. Allow about 3.5 hours for the Pisgah Inn-to-US 276 direction; a shuttle is needed for a through hike.
- Services: The Pisgah Inn area provides food, drinks, restrooms, and supplies near the trailhead.
TipsThe Pisgah Inn-to-US 276 direction is generally the easier direction because it avoids climbing…
- The Pisgah Inn-to-US 276 direction is generally the easier direction because it avoids climbing the route's biggest grades.
- Use a shuttle plan and leave enough time for the small US 276 pullout; it is not a full-service trailhead.
- At the lower junction, stay with Buck Spring when it turns west rather than continuing uphill on the MST.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Ridge Parkway
1,208 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,020 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
2,257 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
200 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,126 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
255 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
