Enjoy your next adventure. We switched to the trail because it had nice footbridges to cross the streams. 4/8-10/22. The next third of the Foothills Trail winds down into North Carolina, providing spectacular views of Lake Jocassee to the South before a long slow descent entwining through the Jocassee Gorges. As a result, the web page can not be displayed. Be sure to. There is abundant wildlife and hikers have a good chance of seeing deer, snakes, toads, frogs, raccoons, waterfowl, raptors, and more. After taking a 45 minute pontoon ride across Lake Jocassee to the trail connector - we lumbered off on our 3.5 hour hike. Happy hiking! 2022 Foothills Trail Conservancy | An Engenius website. This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. Summer heat and humidity are intense, due to relatively low elevations, while night-time winter temperatures typically sink into the 20s. Discover this 48.9-km point-to-point trail near Sunset, South Carolina. It traverses the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras mountain, to the beauty of Whitewater Falls and the Jocassee Gorge and lake 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. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Table Rock State Park offers a myriad of amenities from camping to cabins, swimming to fishing. Day 4 was a short 3 miles but much of it was uphill. Head West on The Foothills Trail towards Lake Jocassee. 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. 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). The Foothills Trail Conservancy store offers a complete guidebook, map, and pocket profile. Western Terminus (Oconee State Park) hereEastern Terminus (Table Rock State Park) here. We completed this section then broke for lunch at Laurel Fork Falls. Camping is allowed on most of the trails 77 miles, with the following exceptions: 1.7 miles along the Whitewater River on Duke Energy property, starting at around mile 30 (northbound); Table Rock State Park, except in designated campsites at park headquarters. Its entirely plausible to hike the Foothills Trail in any season, though late-spring to early summer and fall are most popular. Incidence of Lyme disease is low in South Carolina, but the black-legged (or deer) tick is present. This was a relatively easy day at about 8 miles. Often one can hike for an entire day and not encounter another person. 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. The best part of this site was the view and waking the next morning to the sunrise. It wasnt the perfect site but it was perfectly timed! Will Hike this in a few weeks. Foothills Trail Conservancy PO Box 3041 Greenville SC 29602. info@foothillstrail.org. I passed up a chance to set up my hammock and spend the night at mile 18, and I regret not doing so. Hey, Mike N. Im the author of this piece. Lots of Stairs. Im investigating as we speak! Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 15 h 5 min to complete. I have thru-hiked it, speed hiked it and section hiked it. We ended at a lovely falls and were met by our pontoon boat for a ride back to Devils Fork State Park. 1 Peter 2:21, Backpacking Journals and Photos from Long Distance Hikers, US 11 Carlisle Pike Mile Marker 1132, Pennsylvania. Login to Update Event. 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. 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. We hiked during the week (6 days actually) and most of the time we were the only people on the trail! We parked the truck at a red gate and began hiking down the service road. Foothills Trail Journal Heartbreak Ridge. 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. On our first day we hiked 8.1 miles and completed the first two sections and made camp shortly past Nicholson Road. Along this section and the next we encountered a good bit of snow still on the ground from the previous weeks winter storm. Length: 80.0 miles Type: One Way Surface: Various Difficulty: Difficult Trail Features: t Parking Trail Head Scenic Observation Waterfall Camping Point of Interest Water Launch Pets Fee Camping Summary: Whether you're looking for a day hike or planning a multi-day through-hike, the Foothills Trail offers adventures of every length and difficulty. Today I am climbing Heartbreak Ridge! The Catawba Falls trail is closed until spring of 2023. This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. I was so overheated and exhausted at this point that I was having dry heaves. This trail is awesome . Lots of climbing and switchbacks. Not unlike the AT, the Foothills Trail is more challenging at one end. I tackled the Foothills Trail during a three day two night fastpack in early January. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 14.2 mile spur trail to Ceasars Head State Park, volunteers who provide shuttle service from trail sections, 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. Cross the bridge and turn left at the Laurel Valley Lodge sign. This is a great "beginner" long-distance trail, as you're always close enough to bail out, if need be. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans photo. The service rd has many creek crossings but eventually crosses the actual Foothills Trail. Wandering Monk Hikes Day 5 on the Foothills Trail | Climbing Heartbreak RidgeHello everyone welcome! Im definitely coming back to that part of the trail to hopefully kayak Lake Jocassee soon. virtually impossible to get lost. may be obscured by the longer and more well known trails in the southeast. Ill have to download some gps coordinates for my favorites. In a normal season, there is plentiful water all along the trail. There I set up camp. The Bartram, Foothills, AT and Benton MacKaye form a Southern Serpentine Route! The route, which features miles of blueberry bushes and campsites with perfect sunrise views, can be hiked in 2-4 days. We started our hike at an elevation of roughly 1600ft and we knew we had some climbing in store since Sassafras stands at 3584. Beginning at mile 50 the trail slowly gains elevation, passing Laurel Falls (54.30) and Virginia Hawkins Falls (57.3) on the way up. It got our heart rates elevated but it failed to break us! Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. I was sad to see the simple existence I had while in the woods coming to an end but at the same time I was excited to be accomplishing this thru-hike and going home to see my wife. Oconee State Park is about two hours from both cities. Length: 76.2 miles (the Foothills Trail Conservancy rounds this off to 77 miles). 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. It is very close to civilization but seems like you are in the middle of nowhere when on it. The consistent signage makes finding the trailheads easy, and the mileage makes section hiking attainable. . I am considering running the entire trial over three days. 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. This was a hard day of almost 12 miles. In early April 2022, gistrailblazer and I thruhiked the Foothills Trail eastbound, from Oconee State Park to Table Rock State Park. This is a four-season trail, hikeable even in winter. It got our heart rates elevated but it failed to break us! It features frequent stream crossings, numerous waterfalls, and skirts around Lake Jocassee, a major recreation destination. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. This is a popular trail for backpacking, birding, and camping, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Nearest Cities: Greenville, South Carolina (26 miles from eastern terminus; 56 miles from western terminus); Atlanta, Georgia (150 miles from eastern terminus; 130 miles from western terminus). I have participated for the last 4 years great event!! Experienced hikers and bikers can enjoy some pretty spectacular views on this 26+ mile trail! Thankfully volunteers have put steps into the dirt and rock to enable hikers to negotiate the steep trail. As you mentioned, a word to the wise in late summer and early fallyellow jackets! 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. The Foothills Trail is something like 76 miles in length and we hiked 6.4 miles of it on a recent brisk afternoon. We had gotten to the more strenuous sections of trail and it was quite noticeable. Well-built bridges cross major waterways and the FTC has laid hundreds of wood-block steps into the steepest sections of trail. Mother Nature smiled upon me with great weather! Thank you to Heyword Douglass, Executive Director of the Foothills Conference, for your encouraging emails and photographs! You walk along the Chattooga River, cross numerous creeks, the Toxaway River, Laurel Creek anyway, multiple sources. Slept well, heard the popping of the campfire a few sites over for awhile. Absolutely beautiful with all the waterfalls.But you earn the views. Along this extended spur lies views of the East Fork of the French Broad River, as well as the sheer rock faces of Raven Cliff Falls. Day 7 was going to be one of our shorter and easier days! The Foothills Trail, though steep in places, is not especially rugged, so trail runners are more than adequate. Waterfalls abound at mile 16.3 via a side trail at King Creek Falls, and another at mile 23.2. Dismiss. Great weather with clear cool nights. 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. Easy and downhill. We took our time there taking a lot of pics and talking to a nice couple. 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. It is my favorite trail for many of the reasons you noted. Hikers get a neat patch, a membership with the Foothills Trail Conference and a subscription to Backpacker Magazine. Fitness Trail consists of 7 stations, two exercises per station on a 1/4 mile jogging path. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 15 h 5 min to complete. I traveled west>east (or, sort of, south>north) and water was never an issue. This mornings highlight was the climb to the top of Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina. It was a good call since it kept us on the trail longer and we ended up with another awesome site. With the exception of the winter months, chances are that weather will be warm and often extremely hot and humid. It loosely follows botanist William Bartram's route from the 18th century. If you like water, the trail offers constant swimming opportunities, waterfalls, and flowing rivers to lull hikers to sleep. By Clay Bonnyman Evans, 2019 Foothills Trail Thru-Hiker. I thought the late night hiker was crazy, but only a really crazy person would try to tackle Heartbreak Ridge, Laurel . The last 2.5 hours were just wonderful hiking through quiet woods - sometimes up and sometimes down - as we crossed from ridge to ridge. 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Marker 1132, Pennsylvania bridges cross major waterways and the FTC has hundreds. Though late-spring to early summer and early fallyellow jackets 18th century you mentioned, a recreation... And were met by our pontoon boat for a ride back to that part of the winter months, are.
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heartbreak ridge foothills trail