Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / North Carolina / Pisgah National Forest

Shining Rock via Old Butt Knob and Shining Creek

Shining Rock Wilderness, Pisgah National Forest (Big East Fork trailhead on US 276, near Canton)

The Shining Rock Wilderness, north of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah National Forest, takes its name from outcrops of white quartzite on Shining Rock. The Forest Service describes more than 18,000 acres, designated in 1964, ranging from about 3,300 feet to over 6,000.

Most visitors come in from Black Balsam on the Art Loeb Trail. This loop starts lower, at the Big East Fork trailhead on US 276, climbing one ridge to Shining Rock and coming down a creek with waterfalls.

The hike

HikingUpward’s Zach Robbins, writing on MyHikes, logs the loop at 11.0 miles with about 3,700 feet of climbing. From the parking area, the Shining Creek Trail crosses Dry Branch and reaches the Old Butt Knob Trail at 0.8 mile. The loop turns right and climbs Chestnut Ridge, with a southwestern view over the Shining Creek watershed at 1.3 miles.

Old Butt Knob, a wooded 5,525-foot summit, comes at 2.7 miles, followed by Spanish Oak Gap, a bypass around Dog Loser Knob through rhododendron tunnels, and Beech Spring Gap at 3.6 miles, where a side path leads to campsites and a spring. At 4.2 miles an unmarked junction leads right to the top of Shining Rock (6,020 feet by MyHikes’ count; N2Backpacking says 5,940), with detours to the white quartzite walls.

The loop then reaches Shining Rock Gap at 5.1 miles, where four trails meet, including the Art Loeb. MyHikes describes a side trip south over Flower Gap to Grassy Cove Top (6,040 feet) before backtracking on the Art Loeb to the Shining Creek Trail, or a shortcut down Shining Creek from the gap.

The descent along North Prong Shining Creek is rocky, with rock-hop crossings and at least four waterfalls, plus a roughly 25-foot falls on a short side path in Daniels Cove near mile 9.9.

The Forest Service says wilderness trails are unsigned and unblazed and maintained to a low standard. N2Backpacking’s author got turned around near the top of Shining Creek and ended up camping at Dog Loser Knob, calling the area’s maze of trails “easy to head in the wrong direction.”

Reddit hikers in November 2024 reported progress clearing Shining Creek, heavy blowdowns on the Old Butt Knob climb, and the separate Big East Fork Trail signed closed.

Tips

Camping

There are no permits or reservations. Shining Rock Wilderness rules: no campfires, groups of 10 or fewer, no bicycles (Forest Service). Bear-resistant canisters are required for overnight camping in the wilderness and the nearby Black Balsam, Sam Knob, and Flat Laurel Creek areas, according to BearVault’s list and earlier Forest Service notices. MyHikes lists campsites at 1.7, 2.3, and 2.6 miles on Old Butt Knob, at Spanish Oak Gap, near Dog Loser Knob, at Beech Spring Gap, at Shining Rock Gap, at Flower Gap (muddy on the east side), and beside Shining Creek near mile 8.3.

Inside Intel: Robbins calls Shining Rock Gap one of the best camping areas in the region but says to arrive early because it’s busy; he names Beech Spring Gap and Flower Gap as alternatives with water nearby.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A cold night in Shining Rock Gap:

Shining Rock Gap sits just below a 6,000-foot summit, and with campfires banned in the wilderness, warmth comes from what you carry. See the sleeping bags testers rate.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.