Its entirely plausible to hike the Foothills Trail in any season, though late-spring to early summer and fall are most popular. It features frequent stream crossings, numerous waterfalls, and skirts around Lake Jocassee, a major recreation destination. Bald Knob (mile 72.5): Expansive view of upstate South Carolina from knees of Pinnacle Mountain. 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. For safety's sake, you can almost always get a cell phone signal with Verizon also. There are numerous road crossings, and hitching into small towns such as Salem, SC, or Sapphire, NC, isnt too difficult. We hiked back up to the Whitewater River and took another break killing time until the hike to the access area. About an hour later we put the packs back on and headed toward the Cliffs. I traveled west>east (or, sort of, south>north) and water was never an issue. 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. more. I continue to log miles and slay summits in Asheville North Carolina. instead, 91 South Catawba Avenue, Old Fort, We completed this section then broke for lunch at Laurel Fork Falls. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Often one can hike for an entire day and not encounter another person. Thru-hikers travel both north/eastbound and south/westbound, but theres no question that those who travel south/westbound have it a bit tougher. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 15 h 5 min to complete. A bear canister is probably overkill. Insects can be troublesome, especially mosquitoes and biting flies in warmer months. What I had failed to realize it that the next mile of the trail is know as Heart Break Ridge. If you like water, the trail offers constant swimming opportunities, waterfalls, and flowing rivers to lull hikers to sleep. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors. Cold nights in 30s and pleasant days in 50s. Absolutely beautiful with all the waterfalls.But you earn the views. The trail is strenuous throughout. By Clay Bonnyman Evans, 2019 Foothills Trail Thru-Hiker. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. 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. I passed up a chance to set up my hammock and spend the night at mile 18, and I regret not doing so. The southern/western portion of the trail is fairly gentle, but dont let that fool you. The Trail joins the Chattooga River Trail at mile 10.6 and winds along the Chattooga Rivers sandy beaches for miles. Fee camping is allowed only in designated areas in Oconee and Table Rock state parks. Dismiss. gain approximately 10,900 feet of elevation, while north/eastbounders (NEBOs?) 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. Elevation is 3,165, Mail me Did the 5 day plan. The Foothills Trail - A 76-mile journey into the wilderness. The Bartram, Foothills, AT and Benton MacKaye form a Southern Serpentine Route! Around 4:15 we started the hike to the Bad Creek parking lot. Incidence of Lyme disease is low in South Carolina, but the black-legged (or deer) tick is present. Absolutely beautiful with all the waterfalls. Thru hiked with a buddy and my dog. No permits are required, but if you camp in either Oconee or Table Rock state parks, there is a fee. Great weather with clear cool nights. The Foothills Trail proper ends at Table Rock State Park, about ten miles from Sassafras Mountain. Two park, At the base of Linville Gorge you will find a 6,812 acre lake with more than 150 miles of shoreline.. The Foothills Trail, though steep in places, is not especially rugged, so trail runners are more than adequate. Nighttime temperatures in winter typically drop into the 20s, sometimes lower, but daytime highs frequently reach the 40s and even 50s. This was a hard day of almost 12 miles. Insects can be bothersome in warmer months. 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. For those planning to take their time, some local shuttle drivers offer food drops for a fee. The service rd has many creek crossings but eventually crosses the actual Foothills Trail. Jurisdiction: The Foothills Trail crosses land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, state parks, and Duke Energy. Check out the Foothills Trail, we're sure you'll love it. Length 11.0 miElevation gain 3,188 ftRoute type Out & back. Day 4 was going to be all back tracking since we had to hike back to Bad Creek to meet my friend. Day 7 was going to be one of our shorter and easier days! Maybe even us. 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. Day 2 we hiked to Cross Bear Creek campsite. This trail is awesome . The Foothills Trail: A 77-Mile Taste of the Southern Appalachians The idea for the Foothills Trail, a National Recreation Trail located in far western South Carolina, began in the 1960s as an effort to preserve and protect the beauty of the Appalachian Foothills. We reached the end of the section by 5:30 PM. The trail is well-marked and well-graded. If you are approaching this parking area from the North, it is 8.5 miles south of the junction of US 64 and NC 281 in Sapphire, North Carolina. I am very proud to have accomplished this feat and Im already looking forward to my next journey along the trail. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Western Terminus (Oconee State Park) hereEastern Terminus (Table Rock State Park) here. Great one night trip. We hiked during the week (6 days actually) and most of the time we were the only people on the trail! Thanks for your support! Streams, creeks, and engorged rivers mark the land with deep gorges and sandy beaches. There is abundant wildlife and hikers have a good chance of seeing deer, snakes, toads, frogs, raccoons, waterfowl, raptors, and even black bears.While youll find people around popular features such as Whitewater Falls and Lake Jocassee, the full trail offers plenty of solitude, including your choice of quiet, secluded sites available for dispersed camping on all but a few miles. 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. 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. Woods Mountain Trail is not for the faint of heart! This middle section of trail bumps along at low elevations and sports spectacular runoff that forms beautiful waterfalls. We had reached Sassafras by 10 till noon. Mother Nature smiled upon me with great weather! Log In. PARKING (Laurel Valley Parking Area) - From the intersection of US 178 and SC 11, drive north on US 178 to the bridge over Eastatoe Creek (approximately one mile past the community of Rocky Bottom). Enjoy your next adventure. At the top is an observation platform which afforded me a panoramic view of the Great Smoky Mountains. Below is more information about our experience. In a normal season, there is plentiful water all along the trail. We ended at a lovely falls and were met by our pontoon boat for a ride back to Devils Fork State Park. Fork Mountain Trail (S5) - (S6) Eastatoe Gorge Spur (S3) - (S4) Sassafras Mountain (S1) to Caesar's Head State Park (S2) . I can usually will myself to keep going but not in this case. Percent of the course on un-paved trails: 90%. I had both time to be alone and reflect and time with great company to share in my experience. 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. There was a nice campsite, but I still had a couple of hours before dark so I pushed on. I dread the descents more than the climbs. Thankfully volunteers have put steps into the dirt and rock to enable hikers to negotiate the steep trail. Any suggestions. If not, then I will assess what my body tells me it will do. Immediately bear right onto the unpaved fork and continue to the Foothills Trail parking area about 0.3 mile on the left. There are multiple easy access points to the Foothills Trail. You can hike for a few hours or spend days or a week or so hiking here and never do the same hike twice. Elevation change: 535 feet, hikes around the Santa Monica Mountains on the Hike Finder Map, Social Distancing hikes around Los Angeles, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. I also absolutely dig the suspension bridges out there. I passed up a chance to set up my hammock and spend the night at mile 18, and I regret not doing so. There is abundant wildlife and hikers have a good chance of seeing deer, snakes, toads, frogs, raccoons, waterfowl, raptors, and more. There are also ten other easy access points between the two termini for non-thru-hikers. Come take a hike with me at Blue Ridge Hiking Company! Though technically a four-season trail, the heat and humidity from May through September can be oppressive. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Additional one mile loop, "Last of the Mohicans" and "Hunt for Red October" were filmed along the shores of this picturesque lake. 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. Region: Deep South, Lower Appalachians (South Carolina) Length: 76.2 miles (5-8 days) Physical Difficulty: Moderate I tackled the Foothills Trail during a three day two night fastpack in early January. It is just under three miles long, beginning at the Old Fort picnic area. We were always close to Lake Jocassee but we couldn't see it. Foothills Trail Conservancy Facebook group, Official Foothills Trail GuidebookHiking South Carolinas Foothills Trail pocket guide by Scott Lynch. Hikers should fill up before ascending Sassafrass Mountain, particularly northbound; the climb is long and steep, and there are no water sources for 4.5 miles. Devil's Backbone This ridge-top trail between Baldy Notch and the summit of Mount Baldy is probably LA's greatest ridge hike, with incredible views over the San Gabriel Mountains and the Mojave Desert. The hiker is treated to their first of many waterfalls at mile 8.2 at Lick Log Creek. Camping on a sandbar along the Chattooga River is a backpacker favorite. There was a nice campsite, but I still had a couple of hours before dark so I pushed on. It was breathtaking to be able to turn all the way around and see the smoky mist below me in every direction. Wandering Monk Hikes Day 5 on the Foothills Trail | Climbing Heartbreak RidgeHello everyone welcome! I was very impressed by the size and power of this waterfall! You do need to watch for bears and bees, although the bees seem very tame. Be careful! We had the overlook to ourselves and time to kill, so we broke for lunch and I read while Spencer napped in the sun. This is a lovely hiking area with lots of camping spots and scenic views. 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. Far below the Blue Ridge, the foothills undulate with as much unforgiving elevation change as the high peaks themselves. 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. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. I could not have asked or hoped for anything better. Check out this page at the Foothills Trail Conservancy. We finished up with 9.4 miles for the day. Moderate to strenuous on the eastern/northern portion of the trail. Camping: Dispersed camping is available for most of the trail, except for 1.7 miles along the Whitewater River on Duke Energy property. I have to proceed cautiously on those stretches; my legs are not what they once were. Trailhead begins inside the Old Fort Picnic Area with incredible views of Kitsuma Peak at trail end. Slept well, heard the popping of the campfire a few sites over for awhile. Chattooga River Valley (miles 10.6-15.5): Many excellent places to swim and camp along the river, which was one of the locations for the movie Deliverance (but dont worry; there dont appear to be any crazed hillbillies in the area). Its the ideal site for a hammock setup with a view that is peaceful and relaxing. The Bartram Trail can be found (somewhere, I havent done it yet) on the other side of the Chattooga crossing the road bridge just up stream of the Burrells Ford campground, which leads to the AT in the Wayah Bald area. 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! Scott Lynchs pocket guide, Hiking South Carolinas Foothills Trail, is another popular option. The section of the trail from Laurel Fork Creek to the Whitewater River is often referred to as the Gorges Section and was initially built and maintained by Duke Power Company as part of a licensing agreement for the construction of Lake Joccasee. 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. Turn right into the parking area and pay your nominal parking fee. The Catawba Falls trail is closed until spring of 2023. 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And it 's unlikely you 'll encounter many other people while exploring Catawba Falls Trail is gentle! Always close to Lake Jocassee but we could n't see it our shorter and days. Mile 8.2 at Lick log Creek me at Blue Ridge, the....

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