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Shut-In Trail

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This information is a public record of the 1981 NRT application and may be out of date if it has not been updated by a trail manager --
check with the trail manager for updated details before visiting.

Shut-In Trail

USDA Forest Service Backcountry Trail
  • Length
    16.3 miles
  • Elevation Gain
    --
  • Route Type
    out & back

The Shut-in Trail was probably named for the thick rhododendron thickets that make the hiker feel "shut in".

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Remants of the Buck Spring Lodge on the Shut-In Trail. Photo by Ken Hurley.
Remants of the Buck Spring Lodge on the Shut-In Trail. Photo by Ken Hurley.
Rhodo tunnels with color on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
Rhodo tunnels with color on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
Trail Guides on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
Trail Guides on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
Blue Ridge Mood on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
Blue Ridge Mood on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
  • Remants of the Buck Spring Lodge on the Shut-In Trail. Photo by Ken Hurley.
  • Remants of the Buck Spring Lodge on the Shut-In Trail. Photo by Ken Hurley.
  • Rhodo tunnels with color on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
  • Trail Guides on the Shut-In. Photo by Tara Malone.
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Location: Pisgath Road Near Asheville along the Blue Ridge Parkway between mileposts 393.8 and 407.4. (recertified 1992)

  • States: North Carolina
  • Counties: Buncombe

George Vanderbilt constructed it in the 1890s for the purpose of reaching his Buck Spring Hunting Lodge from the Biltmore House. (The remnants of the lodge are near the Buck Spring Gap Overlook.) Since that time, this route has been converted to a hiking trail and is now a part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (#440, white dot blazes). In 16.3 miles, the trail changes elevation by almost 3,000 feet, and in places can be quite challenging. Except where the trail crosses the Parkway, it is a quiet walk through beautiful hardwood forests with many nice views of the valleys below. Despite its proximity to the Parkway, this trail does not receive much use, particularly along its southern reaches.

Approximate Elevation Change: 2,700 feet. Blaze: White.

Accessibility Information

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Allowed Uses:

Hiking/Walking

Public Contact

Jeff Owenby
US Forest Service
1001 Pisgah Hwy.
Pisgah Forest, NC 28760
[email protected] • (828) 877-3130

Contact the trail manager for current maps and visiting details.

More Details

  • Elevation (low): 3000
  • Elevation (high): 5000
  • Elevation (cumulative): --
  • Part of a Trail System? No
  • Surface (primary): Soil
  • Surfaces (additional): Soil
  • Tread Width (average): 18"
  • Tread Width (minimum): --
  • Running length (minimum): --
  • Tread Grade (average, percent): 8
  • Tread Grade (maximum): 20
  • Running length (maximum): --
  • Cross-slope (average, percent): --
  • Cross-slope (maximum): --
  • Running length (maximum): --
  • Certified as an NRT
    Nov 26, 1981
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