Camel Gap Trail

Camel Gap Trail is a 10.58-mile point-to-point backcountry route from Big Creek Trailhead to the Appalachian Trail at Camel Gap. It follows Big Creek Trail to Upper Walnut Bottom campsite #36, then climbs the named Camel Gap Trail. This is a full-day route for someone planning a longer backcountry trip, not a short waterfall walk. The mapped route gains about 2,900 feet and takes roughly 8½ hours at a steady hiking pace.

The mileage combines about 6.46 miles on Big Creek Trail with 4.12 miles on the NPS-mapped Camel Gap segment. Two hiking descriptions give 4.7–4.8 miles for that named segment, while the NPS inventory's separate length field says 2.25; its detailed line measures 4.12. Treat the total as approximate. The mapped figure also excludes the roughly three-quarter-mile walk from parking near the ranger station to Big Creek Trailhead.

The starting trail is beyond the road access: park near the Big Creek ranger station, then walk about three-quarters of a mile to Big Creek Trailhead. From there, the route follows Big Creek Trail upstream for about 6½ miles to campsite #36 at Upper Walnut Bottom. That long approach is part of the mapped experience, not a quick connector. The named Camel Gap Trail starts at the campsite and finishes at the Appalachian Trail.

The named segment begins on level ground beside Big Creek and reaches the lower end of Gunter Fork Trail after a little more than half a mile. Beyond that, the tread leaves the broad bottomland for boulder-strewn ground above the stream. Big Creek's deep pools, cataracts and small falls appear through the rhododendron. Rocky Branch and several feeder streams mark the middle miles.

A stand of beech trees comes before a switchback that turns the path away from Big Creek. The route passes a clearing likely tied to old logging, then climbs through a higher, cooler ravine. The tread gets rockier and the grade noticeably steeper near Camel Gap, where it meets the Appalachian Trail. A view toward Balsam Mountain is only a possible glimpse through the trees, not a broad summit panorama.

This trail has also been called Yellow Creek Trail. Its gradual lower approach follows an old rail grade associated with logging before the park was established; the clearing near the climb is another likely trace of that work. The scenery changes from a creek corridor to a shaded high-elevation ravine, but the route's story is tied to the working landscape that came before the park.

This is a one-way hike that ends on the Appalachian Trail, with no road at Camel Gap. Plan an onward route or a vehicle exit before starting. Dogs are not allowed on this backcountry trail. The route's length, climbing and remote finish make it a demanding day even before adding the walk from parking to the trailhead.