Devils Courthouse Trail
ViewsPeaks
Along the way Devils Courthouse Devils Courthouse Overlook
Trailhead Devils Courthouse MP 422.4 5,464 ft Drive there
Hike the Devils Courthouse Trail the Park Service's write-up
1-2 Hours · dogs allowed · season The Parkway is often closed at high elevations in the winter. Check before you head out to make sure the road is open.
Start Devils Courthouse, Milepost 422
The Devils Courthouse Trail is a great hike for the entire family. Children and family members with a reasonable amount of physical fitness can enjoy the walk to the overlook. Once you’re at the top, look down at the parking lot and take pride in how far you’ve hiked. Enjoy the sweeping views in every direction. From this vantage point you can see into three other states—South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
The paved trail starts from the Devils Courthouse Overlook at Milepost 422 on the Parkway. The climb up the moderate to strenuous trail is worth the view from the overlook at the top. The first portion of the trail is paved. The hike is only 0.5 miles to the top, but it's a steep climb. There are places to stop and rest along the way. Wear sturdy shoes and bring a light jacket. It can be windy up top.
The surrounding red spruce and Fraser fir forest is a unique ecosystem that is a relic from the last ice age dating back over 10,000 years ago. Glaciers didn't come this far south, but temperatures were cooler. Species that could tolerate and thrive in cold temperatures survived farther south than they typically do now. Tiny fragments of these forests remain today on high mountain peaks due to their cooler and moister environments. Hiking the trail at Devils Courthouse is like hiking in the boreal forests of Canada.
Toward the end of the trail, a connector trail to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail breaks off to the left. To continue to the overlook, keep right. At the top, the forest gives way to a rocky outcrop and the overlook at the very top. On a clear day, this viewpoint allows a panoramic vista of the surrounding mountains and the valley below Devils Courthouse. It is a great place to look for soaring birds like hawks, vultures, and eagles. Peregrine falcons have nested on the rock face below, however not for several years. Biologists believe visitors climbing over the barrier walls at the overlook may have unwittingly interfered with these threatened bird’s fragile nesting habitat. Please remain behind the overlook walls.
Accessibility The first half of the trail is a paved walkway 3-4 feet wide with a grade that varies between an estimated 4%-20% and includes raised water diversion humps. At the midway point, the trail becomes a steep, narrow rocky path which includes a series of wooden steps.