Tricorner Knob can only be accessed via a lengthy hike. From the Cosby Campground (specifically behind Campsite B51), the Snake Den Ridge Trail winds up the ridge to its junction with the Appalachian Trail. From this junction, Tricorner is away, with the trail first crossing the slopes of Old Black and Mount Guyot. The Balsam Mountain Trail is a trail connecting the Appalachian Trail in the west with the Benton MacKaye Trail to the east. The latter can be accessed via a sharp bend in Straight Fork Road, a rugged gravel road rising out of Cherokee, North Carolina. From this bend, Tricorner Knob is just over away. A section of the Appalachian Trail connects Tricorner Knob with Newfound Gap in the Central Smokies.