Location: The trail runs slightly northeast-southwest in far western South Carolina, with several crossings into North Carolina. Cross Bear Creek campsite is nice but you have to hang your own bear line. Slept well, heard the popping of the campfire a few sites over for awhile. Since we only had about 3.5 miles left to camp, we lounged around after eating basking in the warm sun. Additional Bridge over Whitewater River now complete! I traveled west>east (or, sort of, south>north) and water was never an issue. Day 8, my final day on the trail, started early. I was so overheated and exhausted at this point that I was having dry heaves. Percent of the course on un-paved trails: 90%. Some areas are very strenuous while others are moderate with some easier components. Scott Lynchs pocket guide, Hiking South Carolinas Foothills Trail, is another popular option. Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina's highest peak, Obeservation Tower atop Sassafras Mountain, For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. Excellent article. Heartbreak Ridge via Star Gap Trail. Hikers spend a good deal of time in the green tunneljust like the ATbut ample opportunities to swim, gorgeous waterfalls, and occasional vistas to the south make this a truly enjoyable trail. The Foothills Trail is a point-to-point hike, and it's on the longer side, especially if you're not used to big-mile days with a pack. Mother Nature entertained us again with another mighty thunderstorm and downpour. There are multiple easy access points to the Foothills Trail. From the east end of Heartbreak Ridge at mile 50 to the Northern Terminus at Table Rock State Park at mile 76.2, the trail crosses a number of challenging routes and trail highlights. Waterfalls abound at mile 16.3 via a side trail at King Creek Falls, and another at mile 23.2. For the full 4x4 trail guide please visit:https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/812-2n61y-heartbreak-ridgeHidden on the east side of Big Bear in Southern Cali. Overall, we hiked around 6 miles to and from. I tackled the Foothills Trail during a three day two night fastpack in early January. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. For those who wish to follow the white blazes of the Foothills Trail, the trail continues down Sassafras Mountain, makes one last climb to up Pinnacle Mountain, and winds its way down to Table Rock State Park. The largest climb of the hike begins at mile 62 and gains 1,839 feetin 4.4 miles before topping out at Sassafrass Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina. We had reached Sassafras by 10 till noon. Many views along the way - waterfalls, wild boar and wild turkey sightings, streams to cross. The Catawba Falls trail is closed until spring of 2023. My girlfriend and I backpacked this trail last night. The Foothills Trail climbs gently out of Oconee State Park on a wide, flat trail that becomes increasingly tight before transforming into traditional single track. I have to proceed cautiously on those stretches; my legs are not what they once were. So beautiful! Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 8 h 58 min to complete. At mile 28.9 there is a side trail to Whitewater Falls, at mile 30.1 Corbin Creek Falls, a small waterfall at mile 35.5 and a blue blaze to Hillard Falls at mile marker 36.5. Absolutely beautiful with all the waterfalls. Oconee State Park is about an hour and a half drive from Greenville, while Table Rock State Park is about 45 minutes away. Heartbreak Ridge Curtis Creek Road, Old Fort, NC, 28762 Avid bikers will love Heartbreak Ridge, an exciting two-mile bike trail that begins along the top ridge of the Blue Ridge Escarpment and descends 2,000 feet! Hopefully I will get a good nights rest and be ready to go in the morning. Login to Update Event. The trail goes between Table Rock State Park and Oconee State Park. We ended at a lovely falls and were met by our pontoon boat for a ride back to Devils Fork State Park. Thru hiked with a buddy and my dog. Cloudflare monitors for these errors and automatically investigates the cause. Oconee is about 2.5 hours and Table Rock is about three hours from Atlanta. It's Day 5 on the . Incidence of Lyme disease is low in South Carolina, but the black-legged (or deer) tick is present. 'Heartbreak Ridge,' Foothills Trail, SC - YouTube AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new features 2022 Google LLC We finished up with 9.4 miles for the day. Cross the NC/SC state line into North Carolina and continue for about a mile to the Whitewater Falls parking area which is marked with a large U.S. Forest Service sign. Sign up for our email newsletter. Overall Id say its moderate to difficult, but I was cruising at 2.5 miles per hour each day to get it down before work on the third evening. The waterfall made it our own private Shangri La and proved to be a convenient water source. Absolutely beautiful with all the waterfalls.But you earn the views. This was a hard day of almost 12 miles. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans photo. The Blue Ridge Mountains are well known for their three hundred sixty degree views from their bare summits. We took our time there taking a lot of pics and talking to a nice couple. The FTC could improve their map by adding to it some trails that intersect or at least some labels/notes regarding the other trails. Permits: No permit is required to hike the Foothills Trail. Lots of climbing and switchbacks. Resupply: The trail is short enough that it can be easily hiked without resupply. Foothills Trail Conservancy Facebook group, Official Foothills Trail GuidebookHiking South Carolinas Foothills Trail pocket guide by Scott Lynch. I was so overheated and exhausted at this point that I was having dry heaves. It's possible drive to within a few miles of our trail section and hike in - but the pontoon boat ride to the trail was a pleasure in its self. Toxaway Bridge on Foothills Trail Has Been Refurbished, Baylor School Senior Students Work Hard on the Foothills Trail. Oconee offers tent camping and cabin rental for those who prefer to stay the night and get an early start on their Foothills Trail adventure. We made camp around 5:30 that evening and finished with a total of 20.5 miles for day 2. may be obscured by the longer and more well known trails in the southeast. Insects can be bothersome in warmer months. A footbridge across the Horsepasture River on the Foothills Trail. We camped at the site right next to the Laurel Valley parking lot. Around 13 miles into the run touch the bench on top of Heart Break Ridge at Lake Jocassee and return back to the parking lot. The heat and humidity can be intense from mid-May through September. It can be hiked in 3-7 days. There were plenty of views and beautiful streams and waterfalls this time of year. We made quick work of the rest of the section and had made it to Upper Whitewater Falls a little after noon. Be careful! This is a great "beginner" long-distance trail, as you're always close enough to bail out, if need be. Navigation: The trail is well-marked with white blazes and easily navigable, though as always, you can get off track if you arent paying attention. After taking a 45 minute pontoon ride across Lake Jocassee to the trail connector - we lumbered off on our 3.5 hour hike. The trail is strenuous throughout. This middle section of trail bumps along at low elevations and sports spectacular runoff that forms beautiful waterfalls. I can usually will myself to keep going but not in this case. We decided to climb to the ridge and found the perfect site for the evening atop the ridge. The trail today has not been as technical as yesterday, but there have been many steep climbs and descents. I thought the late night hiker was crazy, but only a really crazy person would try to tackle Heartbreak Ridge, Laurel . Region: Deep South, Lower Appalachians (South Carolina)Length: 76.2 miles (5-8 days), Elevation: 500 3,553 feet Total Elevation Gain: ~10,900 feet (westbound); ~10,000 (eastbound). Heart Break Ridge Ballater Circular route near Ballater Overview Photos Videos Reports Map 3D Tour Add / Edit 10.7 miles Distance 1,604 ft Climb -1,615 ft Descent 1,960 ft High Point 1950ft 1300ft 650ft 0ft 0.00miles 3.50miles 7.00miles 10.50miles A circular ride from Ballater taking in Heart Break Ridge Detailed Description Local Trail Association The Foothills Trail - A 76-mile journey into the wilderness. I have only done a small portion of this beautiful trail but every step is well worth the effort. Thanks again. Check out the Foothills Trail, we're sure you'll love it. Water is plentiful. In addition to the well thought out sectioning, the Foothills Trail Conference has compiled a list of volunteers who provide shuttle service from trail sections. The park also has a store and gift shop with limited groceries to fuel your post thru hike hunger. From there we pushed on towards Laurel Valley. Once as high as the Rocky Mountains or Alps, some 480 million years of erosion have substantially decreased the elevation of the Appalachian Mountains (which extend, believe it or not, into Scotland). Water: Water is plentiful all along the trail from streams, rivers, and lakes, except in drought conditions. Tougher than expected but had a great time. Dont take it for granted.The shuttle service ( Taz) is the best.Went from Oconne to Table Rock. In 2016, I hiked the Appalachian Trail; 2018, Foothills Trail and Alabama Pinhoti Trail; 2019, Great Plains Trail pilot trail in South Dakota and Nebraska; on April 7, 2021 I will start the Pacific Crest Trail. The steps are so long that in the middle there is a bench for folks to rest before they tackle the remainder of the climb. Happy hiking! The trail is well-marked and well-graded. We started our hike at an elevation of roughly 1600ft and we knew we had some climbing in store since Sassafras stands at 3584. 13.1 miles total for the day! Difficult at times but worth it. 1 Peter 2:21, Backpacking Journals and Photos from Long Distance Hikers, US 11 Carlisle Pike Mile Marker 1132, Pennsylvania. Fortunately, once I got to the lake I came upon a perfect hammock site on a cliff overlooking Lake Jocassee. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. It was an evening of mixed emotion for me. It is just under three miles long, beginning at the Old Fort picnic area. Both State and Federal agencies have taken over management responsibilities in recent years, and this section of South Carolina has some of the best backcountry wilderness in the Southeast with numerous waterfalls, suspension bridges, and streams. What a great way to fall asleep, as the rain pattered against my tarp and the thunder boomed and lightning lit up the evening sky! It was very strenuous and not for the out-of-shape. Nice article! We logged over 32 miles. The Star Gap Trail is a great short trail for hikers and bikers alike! The standard guidebooks for the Foothills Trail provide detailed information about plentiful camping spots, and there are numerous spots to camp along the way that arent listed in either book. It was a good call since it kept us on the trail longer and we ended up with another awesome site. The Trail joins the Chattooga River Trail at mile 10.6 and winds along the Chattooga Rivers sandy beaches for miles. Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina's highest peak, Obeservation Tower atop Sassafras Mountain, For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. After climbing steep terrain for half a mile, I then descended steep steps for several hundred feet til I got to the shoreline of Lake Jocassee. There is plenty of water and beautiful scenery along most of this section. This alleviates the headache of spotting cars or finding rides back to original trailheads after completing sections. He has hiked the Colorado Trail, Appalachian Trail, Foothills Trail, Pinhoti Trail, Centennial Trail, and the Great Plains Trail Pilot Trail, and will start hiking the Pacific Crest Trail on April 7, 2021. A wonderful weekend hike. Mother Nature smiled upon me with great weather! This is a four-season trail, hikeable even in winter. More. In summer and early fall, the heat and humidity can be a killerhikers who can tolerate walking in gear literally soaked with sweat will avail themselves of frequent opportunities to swim and wash off chafe-inducing salt and grime. I have participated for the last 4 years great event!! First . We finished with 13.2 hard miles for the day and ate dinner then took our aching feet to bed. Well maintained trail. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Oconee is about 2.5 hours and Table Rock is about three hours from Atlanta. A solid and steady climb with a few short downhills just to give you a quick break. We were hiking by 10 till 10 and our first stop was Hilliard Falls. On our first day we hiked 8.1 miles and completed the first two sections and made camp shortly past Nicholson Road. Clay Bonnyman Evans is a freelance writer living in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and his hometown, Boulder, Colorado. I had both time to be alone and reflect and time with great company to share in my experience. Table Rock State Park offers a myriad of amenities from camping to cabins, swimming to fishing. This was a relatively easy day at about 8 miles. There are plenty of non-thru options, as well, including the so-called crown jewel route, southbound from Laurel Valley to just below Whitewater Falls. This was an awesome site and from atop the giant rocks we could see for miles and got the privilege of watching a beautiful sunset. What were the generally areas where you made camp each night? And many a Foothills Trail hiker has found herself sprinting away from the occasional swarm of irritable hornets, especially in fall. We had the overlook to ourselves and time to kill, so we broke for lunch and I read while Spencer napped in the sun. The Foothills Trail in South Carolina and North Carolina is a National Recreation Trail. Oconee State Park is about two hours from both cities. On my fourth day thru hiking the Foothills Trail alone, I started with the climb up and over Heartbreak Ridge and ended up at the Chimneytop Campsite, just b. Greenville SC 29602. The trail is well-marked and well-graded. Immediately bear right onto the unpaved fork and continue to the Foothills Trail parking area about 0.3 mile on the left. As on the AT, south/westbound Foothills Trail hikers walk straight into a buzzsaw, tackling the highest, most challenging terrain immediately and gaining some 3,000 feet in the first 9.8 miles to the summit of Sassafrass Mountain on day one. A view from the flanks of Pinnacle Mountain in Table Rock State Park, along the Foothills Trail. Description. Great one night trip. We were on the trail by 8:05, not bad! To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. One of the classic mountain bike descents in Pisgah is one of the most infamous hiking climbs in Pisgah when paired with the Star Gap Trail. Its unfair to reduce the Foothills Trail to a warm-up for the Appalachian Trail. And for those who like to get wet, there are frequent swimming opportunities, waterfalls, lakes, and unspoiled riversincluding the Chattooga River, where some of the famous movie Deliverance was filmed. Foothills Trail Conservancy PO Box 3041 Greenville SC 29602. info@foothillstrail.org. Today's miles: 17 Total miles: 65.4 Camped: Boulder about a mile before Sassafras peak What a day. Hopefully I will get a good nights rest and be ready to go in the morning. Steep Steps (Heart Break Ridge) Longest Suspension Bridge on the Foothills Trail Crosses the Toxaway River Hiking along Lake Jocassee Shoreline Trail Head: Cane Brake Trail to Frozen Creek Access All orders over $60 receive FREE shipping! There is a small amount of roadwalking. A group of 3 moms and 3 girls did these 32.6 miles over 4 days. I hiked solo from Maine to Georgia in 2014 and from Denver to Durango in 2015. What I had failed to realize it that the next mile of the trail is know as Heart Break Ridge. The Bartram, Foothills, AT and Benton MacKaye form a Southern Serpentine Route! This is a 30 mile one day hike on the trail that is a fundraising event for CureSearch for Childrens Cancer. Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon. My wife and I hiked the Foothills Trail in April of 2007, and as we tried to gather information from other websites on their experiences, we found that there were not many pages to be found. Hey, Mike N. Im the author of this piece. We counted down the miles as we moved down the mountain towards the nature center. It got our heart rates elevated but it failed to break us! Great camping areas. NC 226-A to Armstrong Fish Hatchery Rd.. The trail is blazed and is normally hiked in 10 days. It looks like a small pool of water but it is the top of the falls. All orders over $60 receive FREE shipping! It is my favorite trail for many of the reasons you noted. The day started with "heartbreak ridge". . Want to report conditions for this trail? Apr 25, 2020 at 8:30 AM . We took a quick break at the falls to enjoy the view and snap some pics and then pushed on towards bad creek. Overall, south/westbound hikers (SWOBOs?) I had many great campsites along the trail but this one would prove to be the best. The trail features sturdy bridges crossing over numerous rivers, beautiful waterfalls, a jaunt around a corner of Lake Jocassee, and, on the eastern half of the trail, steep climbs of up to 2,000 feet that rival anything on the southern Appalachian Trail. Expect a high speed experience with very fast straight sections. We camped at Bear Creek (not bear camp creek) and actually did have a bear sighting. . Often one can hike for an entire day and not encounter another person. We were exhausted by the time we set up camp so we ate dinner and then hit the sack. Around 4:15 we started the hike to the Bad Creek parking lot. People love campfires. Until we meet again. Fork Mountain Trail (S5) - (S6) Eastatoe Gorge Spur (S3) - (S4) Sassafras Mountain (S1) to Caesar's Head State Park (S2) . Print/PDF map. Really cool to se that engineering out in the wilderness and seamlessly blend it in. This route was very challenging, but worth it in the end, when you are back home with your feet up :), Laurel Fork Falls to Canebrake Point-to-point using boat shuttle. These wooden stairs make appearances at many points on the Foothills Trail most notably on Heartbreak Ridge, where 302 stairs ascend the ridge and 294 stairs descend the ridge. New benefit of membership: Free subscription to Backpacker magazine. We ended up creating a website (www.thefoothillstrail.com) with the hopes of informing others of the difficulty of the trail, the terrain type, how to read the guidebook (published by The Foothills Trail Conference), and other insider tips. Id like to make that connection to the Bartram and hike it to the AT sometime. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. We hiked back up to the Whitewater River and took another break killing time until the hike to the access area. I really need to recover tonight. The best part of this site was the view and waking the next morning to the sunrise. Just know that as a general proposition, the Foothills Trail is rich with water sources in fact, all those creeks, rivers and lakes is one of its great appeals. My wife dropped me, and my dog Spencer, off at 10:45am and after our goodbyes and a few pictures, we set off on our journey. Perhaps it was because we were hiking West to East, but it turned out to be not nearly as bad as we were expecting. An off-road running race held in the northwestern foothills of your Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. If you like water, the trail offers constant swimming opportunities, waterfalls, and flowing rivers to lull hikers to sleep. Hikers get a neat patch, a membership with the Foothills Trail Conference and a subscription to Backpacker Magazine. We planned on hiking to Drawbar Cliffs and making camp there so we would only have a 5 mile hike on our final day. Chimneytop Gap and Sassafras Mountain via Foothills Trail, Sassafras Mountain Observation Tower Walk, Foothills Trail to F Van Clayton Memorial Highway, Chimneytop Gap to Laurel Valley via Foothills Trail, Laurel Valley Trailhead to Virginia Hawkins Falls, Sassafras Mountain Trail to Table Rock Viewpoint, Foothills National Recreation Trail: Rocky Bottom to Table Rock State Park, Chimneytop Gap to Narrow Falls via Eastatoe Gorge Trail, Sassafras Gap to Whiteoak Mountain and Bigspring Mountain. The service rd has many creek crossings but eventually crosses the actual Foothills Trail. Although mostly well-built and -maintained, as of October 2018 there were quite a few blowdowns, including a couple that force hikers into significant bushwhacking and route-finding back to the trail. However, for many people the, A Thru-Hike for Everyone: 5 Trails Under 200 Miles, Outdoor Research Aspire Super Stretch Jacket Review, Backpacker Radio #189 | Christine Reed on POTS, Hiking with Grief, and Her Book: Alone in Wonderland, Getting to Campo: PCT Southern Terminus Shuttle To Run for Second Year, 10 Trek Bloggers You Should Be Following This Winter, The Best Backpacking Stoves for Thru-Hiking of 2023, Top Stoves, Filters, and Power Banks on the Appalachian Trail: 2022 Thru-Hiker Survey, Sierra On Track for Record Snowfall This YearHere's What It Means for PCT Hikers, 8 Classic Pieces of Backpacking Gear Hikers Love (And Why), The Best Headlamps for Thru-Hiking of 2023, https://foothillstrail.org/maps-coordinates-2/. Mike/Asheville. About an hour later we put the packs back on and headed toward the Cliffs. Jessica Lane. Stairs. 70, Old Fort, NC, 28762 Exited at Bad Creek parking lot access. Cars can be left at both state parks. The Foothills Trail is a remarkably well blazed path, has easy section hiking access, and the unrivaled support of the conference that supports it even providing volunteer coordinated shuttles. There is abundant wildlife and hikers have a good chance of seeing deer, snakes, toads, frogs, raccoons, waterfowl, raptors, and more. It is a beautiful site at the top of the waterfalls. Table Rock State Park is about an hours drive from both Asheville, North Carolina and Spartanburg, SC. Thank you to Heyword Douglass, Executive Director of the Foothills Conference, for your encouraging emails and photographs! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The Blue Ridge Mountains are well known for their three hundred sixty degree views from their bare summits. 6.6 - 13.6 miles 2,350 feet: 34.266172,-117.62684: 740 Not unlike the AT, the Foothills Trail is more challenging at one end. Side of Big bear in Southern Cali left to camp, we around! 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