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. It wasnt that bad going east to west but it definitely doesnt look fun the opposite direction. Especially in warm weather, the slog out of Laurel Valley, up Sassafrass, over Pinnacle Mountain, and down, down into Table Rock will tax many a hikers glutes and quads. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. 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 Foothills Trail Conference Divides the trail into thirteenaccessible sections. Very well maintained trail. 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). This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. In a normal season, there is plentiful water all along the trail. Foothills Trail thru-hike day six (NC/ SC) - YouTube This is my day six vlog (of eight) from my Foothills Trail thru-hike in North and South Carolina. Permits: No permit is required to hike the Foothills Trail. Check out this page at the Foothills Trail Conservancy. We completed this section then broke for lunch at Laurel Fork Falls. Its entirely plausible to hike the Foothills Trail in any season, though late-spring to early summer and fall are most popular. It can be hiked in 3-7 days. Unlike the tall and unforgiving crests of the great range, the foothills are alive and lush. 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. Any suggestions. Terms under which this service is provided to you. We took our time breaking camp and were on the trail by 11am. This mornings highlight was the climb to the top of Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina. We had gotten to the more strenuous sections of trail and it was quite noticeable. virtually impossible to get lost. We made camp around 5:30 that evening and finished with a total of 20.5 miles for day 2. The service rd has many creek crossings but eventually crosses the actual Foothills Trail. A wonderful weekend hike. The route, which features miles of blueberry bushes and campsites with perfect sunrise views, can be hiked in 2-4 days. Following a long ridge that begins high atop the Blue Ridge Escarpment, this trail plunges over 2000 ft. in four miles. I had planned on making camp for the evening along the spur trail below Grassy Knob that led to 281, but there was too much snow on the ground. Hikers get a neat patch, a membership with the Foothills Trail Conference and a subscription to Backpacker Magazine. Clay Bonnyman Evans is a freelance writer living in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and his hometown, Boulder, Colorado. I would not call this trail moderate, as there are many challenging sections, no matter which direction you travel. We were exhausted by the time we set up camp so we ate dinner and then hit the sack. While the solitude of the first part of my hike was very nice it was good to have company. http://www.mtbproject.com/trail/1368860/heartbreak-ridge, 2940 Ft. /8 Miles. All orders over $60 receive FREE shipping! Check out more trails in the Asheville area here. Great weather with clear cool nights. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Water is plentiful. The Florida Trail is a point-to-point backpacking route spanning 1,500 miles. Jurisdiction: The Foothills Trail crosses land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, state parks, and Duke Energy. 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. Click on any map and youll see what Im talking about. 13.1 miles total for the day! 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. 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. Easy and downhill. 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. Though technically a four-season trail, the heat and humidity from May through September can be oppressive. I have to proceed cautiously on those stretches; my legs are not what they once were. Along the sandy banks of the Chattooga River and just above Laurel Fork Falls are two of many excellent camping spots on the trail. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. Lots of inclines and declines so pack light! First . Greenville SC 29602. Mother Nature smiled upon me with great weather! The Catawba Falls trail is closed until spring of 2023. About an hour later we put the packs back on and headed toward the Cliffs. There is an issue between Cloudflare's cache and your origin web server. Im investigating as we speak! Since we only had about 3.5 miles left to camp, we lounged around after eating basking in the warm sun. 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. Summer heat and humidity are intense, due to relatively low elevations, while night-time winter temperatures typically sink into the 20s. Thanks for your support! Slept well, heard the popping of the campfire a few sites over for awhile. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 8 h 58 min to complete. 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. Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans. Until we meet again. We actually drove past the designated parking lot on Horsepasture Rd (in a truck) to the intersection of Horsepasture and Laurel Fork Valley Rd (marked by a road sign on a fallen tree. Table Rock State Park offers a myriad of amenities from camping to cabins, swimming to fishing. Continue on an old road to your left after entering a field to . Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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). The western half of the trail covers significantly less grueling terrain overall. Day 4 was going to be all back tracking since we had to hike back to Bad Creek to meet my friend. Jessica Lane. With the exception of the winter months, chances are that weather will be warm and often extremely hot and humid. I had many great campsites along the trail but this one would prove to be the best. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Please include the Ray ID (which is at the bottom of this error page). Photo: Clay Bonnyman Evans photo. The suspension bridge was amazing! Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. To learn more, please visit the About This Site page. The Foothills Trail Conservancy website lists local shuttle services. Great one night trip. Did the 5 day plan. This vlog is from mid-May. Bald Knob (mile 72.5): Expansive view of upstate South Carolina from knees of Pinnacle Mountain. There were plenty of views and beautiful streams and waterfalls this time of year. If not, then I will assess what my body tells me it will do. 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 We started with two short sections to Chimney Gap and then to Sassafras. The day started with "heartbreak ridge". (Upper Whitewater Falls Parking Area) - From the South near Salem, SC on SC 11, turn north onto SC Highway 130 (which is also called Whitewater Road) and travel about ten miles. Thank you to Heyword Douglass, Executive Director of the Foothills Conference, for your encouraging emails and photographs! We were always close to Lake Jocassee but we couldn't see it. 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. The incidence of Lyme disease is very low in South and North Carolina (less than .5 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents), but the black-legged (or deer tick) is present, so be diligent about tick checks. 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 was a relatively easy day at about 8 miles. Foothills Trail Conservancy PO Box 3041 Greenville SC 29602. info@foothillstrail.org. The southern/western portion of the trail is fairly gentle, but dont let that fool you. If anyone finds it please message me 8644096466. It wasnt the perfect site but it was perfectly timed! It was breathtaking to be able to turn all the way around and see the smoky mist below me in every direction. Perhaps it was because we were hiking West to East, but it turned out to be not nearly as bad as we were expecting. Waterfalls abound, their distinctive rush mixes with sounds of wind and wildlife. gain about 10,000 feet (the Foothills Trail Conservancy does not offer exact totals; approximations are based on an overall elevation profile). Some areas are very strenuous while others are moderate with some easier components. Top Selling Tours & Activities in and around South Carolina. I dread the descents more than the climbs. 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. I really need to recover tonight. We really enjoyed the short hike to Hidden Falls. 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. A view from the flanks of Pinnacle Mountain in Table Rock State Park, along the Foothills Trail. The plan is to make a full loop of about 375 miles (I think). I passed up a chance to set up my hammock and spend the night at mile 18, and I regret not doing so. Cloudflare monitors for these errors and automatically investigates the cause. I got my trail name, Pony, in 2015 when I hiked the Colorado Trail. I was so overheated and exhausted at this point that I was having dry heaves. This was one of the few instances I saw wildlife along my hike. This is a 30 mile one day hike on the trail that is a fundraising event for CureSearch for Childrens Cancer. Theres a section known as heart break ridge where supposedly it is the hardest section of the trail coming from the Toxaway River. Thru hiked with a buddy and my dog. 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. The Guidebook rated these sections as moderate to easy, I assume because of the short distance. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. So beautiful! Lots of Stairs. We feel that this has prepared us for longer trips we're looking at The Mountains to Sea Trail in NC next (900 miles, we'll have to do it in sections since we work). We briefly paused at bald rock to take in the spectacular views and snap a few more pics. Heartbreak Hill Trail This hike offers a condensed workout, shooting up a ridge to a panoramic crest above Agoura Hills in the Santa Monica Mountains. Its unfair to reduce the Foothills Trail to a warm-up for the Appalachian Trail. Click here to find alternative waterfall and hiking trails. 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