Elevation profiles for hiking in North Carolina

Distance tells you how far; the profile tells you how hard. Draw any trail in North Carolina and see its climb, descent and high point in feet, read from USGS 3DEP lidar.

Why elevation profiles matter for hiking

Two trails of the same length can be completely different days. A riverside greenway walk in Asheville and a climb up the Blue Ridge Escarpment might cover similar distances, but the second one gains most of its height in a short, steep stretch. The profile shows that before you lace up.

• Effort: total climb, not distance, is what tires most hikers.
• Time: climbing slows everyone down, and steep descents do too.
• Where the hard part is: one long climb at the start, a steady grind or a steep finish to a summit each call for a different plan.
• Exposure: the high point tells you how far up onto the ridges and into the weather the route goes.

Made for North Carolina’s trails

North Carolina’s hiking runs from the Great Smoky Mountains and the Black Mountains, where Mount Mitchell is the highest point in the state, to the cliffs of Linville Gorge and Grandfather Mountain, the steep trails of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the lone peaks of Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock in the Piedmont, the Uwharries and the flat beach and dune walks of the Outer Banks. Much of it is under dense hardwood and pine forest, where GPS altitude is at its worst. The bare-earth lidar model reads the forest floor, so the profile shows the ground you walk on rather than the treetops.

How to create a hiking elevation profile

1. Open Elevation Profile and search for the trailhead or the peak.
2. Switch to the USGS Topo basemap to see the trail.
3. Tap along the trail from the trailhead, with points close together on switchbacks.
4. Finish the line and read the chart and the figures.

A line can be up to 15.5 miles long. For the full walkthrough, see how to create an elevation profile.

Understanding your hiking profile

Key figures for hikers

• Total climb: the best single measure of how hard the hike is.
• Total descent: the knees’ share. A long descent on a steep trail is hard work in its own right.
• High point: where the weather, snow and wind will be worst.
• Range: high point minus low point, the biggest single climb.

Reading the chart

Look for where the line is steepest: that is where you will slow down most. A route that climbs steadily is easier to pace than one with a steep wall in the middle. On an out-and-back, remember that the climb on the way in is the descent on the way out.

North Carolina trails to profile

Long trails, a day at a time

A multi-day walk along the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains or across the Black Mountains is far longer than one line, so draw it day by day. Profiling each day’s stretch shows where the big climbs and the deep gap crossings fall, so you can balance the days.

Regional favorites

• The Great Smoky Mountains: long ridge walks with deep gaps between the peaks; a profile shows how many climbs a ridge day adds up to.
• The Black Mountains and Mount Mitchell: the highest point in the state, reached by long climbs from the valleys on either side.
• Linville Gorge: trails drop steeply from the rim to the river and climb just as steeply back out; draw them closely on the switchbacks.
• Grandfather Mountain and the Blue Ridge Escarpment: short trails with a steep finish to the summit, and climbs that come early and hard from the foot of the escarpment.
• Pilot Mountain, Hanging Rock and the Uwharries: Piedmont hills that rise sharply from rolling country; a profile shows the one big climb in an otherwise gentle day.
• The Outer Banks: beach and dune walks that are nearly flat; the profile shows little more than the dunes themselves.

Planning a hike with the profile

Estimating hiking time

A common rule of thumb hikers use, Naismith’s rule, allows one hour per 3 miles plus one hour per 2,000 ft of climb. It is a planning aid, not something the tool calculates. Treat it as a starting point and adjust for your own pace, the trail surface, a heavy pack and the descent.

Backpacking trips

Draw each day as its own line. Days with a similar climb are easier to manage than one huge day followed by an easy one, and the profile shows where a camp on a bench or a saddle would split the climbing well.

Gear and preparation

The high point decides how much warm and waterproof gear you carry and whether to expect snow or ice on the high peaks early or late in the season. A long, steep descent is a reason to bring trekking poles.

Safety

• Check the weather for the high point, not just the trailhead.
• Plan a turnaround time, and know where the profile lets you bail out early.
• Carry water for the climbs; the profile shows how long they last.
• The profile is the bare ground. It does not show snow, washouts, closures or trail conditions; check with the land manager before you go.

Data quality for hiking

Ground elevations on this site come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) seamless bare-earth model: 3.3 ft per pixel where a full-resolution lidar survey has been flown, about 9.8 ft per pixel where the model is built from older lidar, and about 33 ft per pixel elsewhere, with elevations above NAVD 88. The data is in the public domain. North Carolina’s statewide lidar is published through NC OneMap and carried by USGS 3DEP. USGS 3DEP serves lidar-derived elevation across North Carolina: 3.3 ft per pixel where a full-resolution lidar survey exists, about 9.8 ft per pixel where the model is built from older lidar. The model is bare earth: footbridges show as a dip to the creek below. See the lidar coverage guide for how to check a place. More from the USGS 3D Elevation Program and NC OneMap’s elevation data.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Elevation profile generator
• Elevation profiles for running
• GPX elevation correction
• Topographic maps of North Carolina
• About the Elevation Profile tool