. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. 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. 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. Well-built bridges cross major waterways and the FTC has laid hundreds of wood-block steps into the steepest sections of trail. I was meeting a friend Wednesday evening at the Bad Creek access area so we had planned to take our time hiking those 33 miles so we would arrive there on Wednesday. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. Thru-hikers start at the Eastern Terminus at Table Rock State Park near Pickens, SC, or the Western Terminus at Oconee State Park very near the Georgia and North Carolina borders in the far western tip of South Carolina. The eastern end of the trail includes some strenuous climbing, including the infamous 500 steps up Heartbreak Ridge and the summit of Sassafras Mountain, but there are also long stretches of easy strolling. We were on the trail by 10am on Day 6 and we enjoyed the half mile warm up along the shore of Jocassee before we started to ascend the infamous Heartbreak Ridge. I really need to recover tonight. We had reached Sassafras by 10 till noon. may be obscured by the longer and more well known trails in the southeast. I got to meet several interesting and nice people that were making the short hike to Lick Falls. 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. People love campfires. There were no bugs and it got down to the low 40s one night After a brief rain during the 65 degree weather. 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. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans photo. The service rd has many creek crossings but eventually crosses the actual Foothills Trail. A solid and steady climb with a few short downhills just to give you a quick break. Great review. This self supported marathon begins in the Laurel Valley Parking Lot off HWY 178 . Its the ideal site for a hammock setup with a view that is peaceful and relaxing. Trailhead begins inside the Old Fort Picnic Area with incredible views of Kitsuma Peak at trail end. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Additional Bridge over Whitewater River now complete! Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. Your IP: It wasnt the perfect site but it was perfectly timed! This is a lovely hiking area with lots of camping spots and scenic views. On top of Heartbreak Ridge, we heard 4 large birds . The trail begins along the top ridge of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, accessed from either Curtis Creek Road or from the Old Toll Road, outside the Ridgecrest Conference center. Did the 5 day plan. It offers multiple distance choices with a challenging hill climb and scenic views of surrounding . Check out this page at the Foothills Trail Conservancy. 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. This trail is awesome . There are no shelters along the trail, and rain is frequent, so hikers should have a good shelter such as a tent, tarp, or hammock. And they were indeed smoky this morning. An off-road running race held in the northwestern foothills of your Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. During this middle section of trail, the hiker will also get their first introduction to another essential attribute on the Foothills Trail. 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. Its unfair to reduce the Foothills Trail to a warm-up for the Appalachian Trail. The Foothills Trail Conservancy store offers a complete guidebook, map, and pocket profile. The Catawba Falls trail is closed until spring of 2023. The trail is well-marked and well-graded. There are also ten other easy access points between the two termini for non-thru-hikers. The Blue Ridge Mountains are well known for their three hundred sixty degree views from their bare summits. Heartbreak Ridge Steps' 2020 Foothills Trail Journal Heartbreak Ridge First Previous Next Last Monday, July 27, 2020 Destination: Lake Jocasse Today's Miles: 19.10 Start Location: Cantrell Campsite Trip Miles: 27.10 Evening view This morning's highlight was the climb to the top of Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina. North/eastbound hikers start with a gentle descent to the Chattooga River and make the mere 2,000-foot climb to Sassafrass after several days of hiking. Until we meet again. 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. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. NC 226-A to Armstrong Fish Hatchery Rd.. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 15 h 5 min to complete. There is an unknown connection issue between Cloudflare and the origin web server. Print/PDF map. A footbridge across the Horsepasture River on the Foothills Trail. Death Valley Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop, CA, Smoky Mountains National Park Loop, NC / TN, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, Total elevation gain is 10,000-11,000 feet, depending on direction, Sustained climbs of more than 2,000 feet; some short, very steep sections, Heat and humidity can be a challenge from late spring through early fall, Dispersed camping allowed along most of the trail. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Day 4 was a short 3 miles but much of it was uphill. Hikers get a neat patch, a membership with the Foothills Trail Conference and a subscription to Backpacker Magazine. Thankfully volunteers have put steps into the dirt and rock to enable hikers to negotiate the steep trail. This is a worthy trail in its own right, but many hikers use the Foothills Trail as a kind of shakedown, warm-up, or training-wheel expedition for an AT thru-hike. Heartbreak's tread is narrow, and often constricted even more by Laurel and Rhododendron encroaching into the corridor. Want to report conditions for this trail? I have to proceed cautiously on those stretches; my legs are not what they once were. It was an evening of mixed emotion for me. Along the sandy banks of the Chattooga River and just above Laurel Fork Falls are two of many excellent camping spots on the trail. Im much more inclined to fall going down one of these steep descents. Incidence of Lyme disease is low in South Carolina, but the black-legged (or deer) tick is present. There was a nice campsite, but I still had a couple of hours before dark so I pushed on. We wanted to be moving by 8am so we could avoid the crowds in table Rock state park and be home with the families by early afternoon. I continue to log miles and slay summits in Asheville North Carolina. Moderate to strenuous on the eastern/northern portion of the trail. However from Sassafras Mountain there is a 14.2 mile spur trail to Ceasars Head State Park in South Carolinathat some choose as an alternate northern terminus for the trail. The consistent signage makes finding the trailheads easy, and the mileage makes section hiking attainable. Put in at Frozen Creek Access then hiked to Canebrake. 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. Since we only had about 3.5 miles left to camp, we lounged around after eating basking in the warm sun. We parked the truck at a red gate and began hiking down the service road. So it requires some advance planning. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. Thru-hikers travel both north/eastbound and south/westbound, but theres no question that those who travel south/westbound have it a bit tougher. Thank you to Heyword Douglass, Executive Director of the Foothills Conference, for your encouraging emails and photographs! This is a four-season trail, hikeable even in winter. We decided to climb to the ridge and found the perfect site for the evening atop the ridge. Absolutely beautiful with all the waterfalls.But you earn the views. My friend arrived at 5:30 and I restocked my food and we decided to night hike to the site on the ridge above the Thompson River. The Bartram, Foothills, AT and Benton MacKaye form a Southern Serpentine Route! Greenville SC 29602. We would maintain about a 2.5 mile per hour pace for the day. Click link for details and directions. Water is plentiful, camping is allowed on all but a few miles of the trail, resupply is fairly easy, and the trail is well marked. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Great one night trip. I really need to recover tonight. Very well maintained trail. If you enjoyed the Foothills Trail you should check out http://www.ultimatehike.org. Stairs. Wildflowers were just blooming. Heartbreak Ridge - 19.10 Miles - From Cantrell Campsite To Lake Jocasse - This morning's highlight was the climb to the top of Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina. Sign up for our email newsletter. I could not have asked or hoped for anything better. But while the Blue Ridge Mountain Balds may be a highlight of the southern Appalachians, they encompass a far greater range of beauty than the view from the tops of the six thousand foot range. This was a hard day of almost 12 miles. About an hour later we put the packs back on and headed toward the Cliffs. As always, take care of our trail angels! And many a Foothills Trail hiker has found herself sprinting away from the occasional swarm of irritable hornets, especially in fall. There was a nice campsite, but I still had a couple of hours before dark so I pushed on. The tread on most of the trail is largely free of rocks and roots, except for a few limited areas, making for pleasant hiking. Immediately bear right onto the unpaved fork and continue to the Foothills Trail parking area about 0.3 mile on the left. Location | Western North Carolina and Northern South Carolina, Highlights | 13 Waterfalls, Gorges, Wooden Steps, Multiple Suspension Bridges, State High Point, Volunteer Coordinated Shuttles, Maps and Guidebooks | Anti-Gravity Gear Pocket Profile ($3.95), Foothills Trail Conference Trail Map ($15.00), Foothills Trail Conference Guidebook ($16.00). A rat snake, coiled alongside the Foothills Trail. Many views along the way - waterfalls, wild boar and wild turkey sightings, streams to cross. Trail is well maintained - thanks. instead, 91 South Catawba Avenue, Old Fort, I have thru-hiked it, speed hiked it and section hiked it. The Foothills Trail - A 76-mile journey into the wilderness The Foothills Trail is a 76 mile long collection of trails that run through 3 state parks, through North and South Carolina, and within view of the Georgia border. I have participated for the last 4 years great event!! Top Selling Tours & Activities in and around South Carolina. Lots of Stairs. The Toxaway River flows into Lake Jocassee along the Foothills Trail. 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. I also absolutely dig the suspension bridges out there. It was a short 5 mile hike to finish up our journey, and the majority of that was downhill. Hikers can fly into Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Resupply: The trail is short enough that it can be easily hiked without resupply. Its a great trail! Start and stop your timer on the first wooden step heading into Laurel Valley . Beginning at mile 50 the trail slowly gains elevation, passing Laurel Falls (54.30) and Virginia Hawkins Falls (57.3) on the way up. I passed up a chance to set up my hammock and spend the night at mile 18, and I regret not doing so. Today I am climbing Heartbreak Ridge! 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. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. It was breathtaking to be able to turn all the way around and see the smoky mist below me in every direction. Hey, Mike N. Im the author of this piece. Are compared with nearby trails in the Laurel Valley Parking Lot off 178... 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