Great Smoky Mountains National Park · North Carolina, Tennessee

Balsam Mountain Trail

10 mi of trail, end to end · about 2,200 ft of climbing · 4,430 ft–5,959 ft · native surface · trail class Developed

PeaksSheltersGaps

5,531 ft 5,959 ft · 4.7 mi high 5,959 ft

Along the way Beech Gap Laurel Gap Pin Oak Gap Ledge Bald Laurel Gap Shelter

Trailhead Balsam Mountain Trail Trailhead 4,427 ft Drive there

On the parks map

All 244 trails in Great Smoky Mountains National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.