Yellow Mountain Trail

From the Buck Creek Road gravel parking area (a sign post marks the trailhead) it is about 6 miles ONE WAY to the Yellow Mountain summit. The first mile includes switchbacks up Cole Mountain, then a gradual descent off Shortoff Mountain down to the Yellow Mountain Gap (at about the 4.8 mile point). From there, you begin about 1000ft of ascent to the summit (5127 ft). The summit of Yellow Mountain has a fire tower and fantastic views. The return trip includes a roughly 900 ft steady ascent back up Shortoff, as part of the total ~2900 ft of climbing during the 12-mile round-trip. The trail is well marked with light blue blazes, and is shaded in forest most of the way until the Yellow Mountain summit.