Parking
Small gravel parking area at the Craven Gap Trailhead where Town Mountain Road meets the Blue Ridge Parkway, with limited roadside pull-offs. No restrooms or water.
Overview
About Craven Gap Trail
Craven Gap Trail is a northbound out-and-back on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, starting at the small gravel Craven Gap Trailhead where Town Mountain Road meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. Follow the white circular MST blazes through forest to the Ox Creek Road crossing at Bull Gap, then return the same way. The stored line follows the mapped corridor once from the trailhead to the turnaround; it is not a loop and the return is not duplicated in the geometry.
Why go
- Well-maintained, blazed MST corridor with a real footbridge and forested ridge walking
- Convenient Asheville-area hike with a clear Craven Gap start and Bull Gap turnaround
Heads up
- Road noise and limited solitude near the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Roots, rocks, short steps, and occasional confusing junctions; views are mostly filtered
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation3,173–3,576 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Craven Gap 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 trailhead
Craven Gap: A Woodsy Walk Near AshevilleListen
“The parking area ahead is for Craven Gap. This is a popular trailhead right on the edge of Asheville for a section of the statewide Mountains-to-Sea Trail.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Tanbark Ridge Overlook Near Asheville
- Bull Creek Valley Overlook and the Last Bison
- Rattlesnake Lodge: A Walk to Historic Ruins
- Night Lights: The Blue Ghost Fireflies
- 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 Craven Gap Trail
Route and distanceThe common visitor outing to Ox Creek Road at Bull Gap is about 4.
The common visitor outing to Ox Creek Road at Bull Gap is about 4.8 miles round trip, or roughly 2.4 miles each way. This record uses the full mapped corridor, including the short trailhead connector and the connector onto Ox Creek Road; published distances can vary with the exact access and turnaround convention. The trail rises and falls over a forested ridge, with roots, rocks, short steps, and a real footbridge along the MST.
What to expectThis is a shaded, close-to-Asheville mountain hike with limited solitude and frequent Parkway…
This is a shaded, close-to-Asheville mountain hike with limited solitude and frequent Parkway noise. Views are mostly filtered through the trees, though leaf-off conditions open occasional ridge glimpses. White circular blazes mark the MST, and a few junctions require attention. Spring wildflowers and fall color are highlights.
Access, pets, and safetyPark in the small gravel lot at Craven Gap; limited roadside pull-offs may be available, but…
Park in the small gravel lot at Craven Gap; limited roadside pull-offs may be available, but there are no restrooms or water. Dogs must be leashed on National Park Service land. Black bears are active around Craven Gap: make noise, keep food secured, and give wildlife plenty of space. Check current Blue Ridge Parkway conditions before visiting. If the Parkway is closed, approach only by an open Town Mountain Road or Ox Creek Road route, and do not walk on the Parkway.
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.
