Cane Brake Trail. These would be a series of fun, casual hikes with family that would allow us all to spend more time together before my departure in February of next year—Caesar’s Head aside. It makes up the eastern part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, while Caesars Head makes up the western part. Camp there near Hillard Falls (or the site one mile past there). View Full Version : Best section of the Foothills Trail to hike with my gf? After what feels like hours we find the Cantrell Campsite (clearly marked), our home for the night! The 76-mile Foothills Trail runs through Upstate South Carolina, climbs the state’s tallest peak, rambles through temperate rain forest, crosses the border into North Carolina, and passes countless waterfalls, including some along the Chattooga River. After dark, a light rain started and Fourth of July fireworks shows could be heard in the distance (according to Amy). We came out of the woods onto the parking lot, and climbed the paved path to the top. Scroll over the images to see section titles. Foothills Trail section centerlines that were gps'd and include information regarding surface type, maintenance responsibility, improvements, etc. this middle section of the Foothills Trail. The Foothills Trail is a 76-mile (122 km) National Recreation Trail in South and North Carolina, United States, for recreational hiking and backpacking.It extends from Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park.It passes through the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest, Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Whitewater Falls, and Lake Jocassee. Spend some time at Hillard Falls. Waterfalls abound here and there are a few little popular swimming holes. It was short but a nice intro into the addiction known as backpacking. The Foothills Trail has lots of ups and downs, so 5 miles is harder than it sounds.  We started at the the east fork trail and hike down the chattooga trail for around 7 miles and back finishing on the foothills trail. It is a popular 12-foot wide paved commuter route and recreational destination for hikers, bikers and in-line skaters. The cold water felt amazing and we rinsed off two days of dirt and sweat. Thanks for all the ideas, I really like Rain Man's idea but I don't want to double back if possible. We only had 7 miles to go today and we took our time in the morning. Hit The Trail “Not only does the Foothills Trail offer a superior hiking experience (Backpacker magazine rated it as “one of the best long trails [fifty plus miles] in the country”), it also provides access to some spectacular waterfalls for sightseers and photographers….” The Foothills Parkway is a national parkway which traverses the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States.The 72.1-mile (114 km) parkway will connect U.S. Route 129 (U.S. 129) along the Little Tennessee River in the west with Interstate 40 (I-40) along the Pigeon River in the east. Even though he was exhausted from his last week as an instructor in wilderness therapy he still packed his bag and came with me. Bearcamp Creek Hilliard Falls. When we could hear car doors slamming from the parking lot, we knew we were close to the top. Now I am trying to find a good long weekend section of the Foothills Trails to take her on to show a multi-day trip, but I don't want to take her on something she can't handle. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/south-carolina/foothills-trail-through-hike ), so I was a bit rusty after a long hiatus from backpacking to raise little kids! This trail is popular with cyclists, hikers, and horseback riders, and there are several trailheads depending on the stretch you would like to travel. It didn’t take us long to pack up camp after breakfast, but it did take us a while to get back into the groove of hiking after such a hard hike the day before. This National Recreation Trail is South Carolina’s longest trail. Off to our right is a small bald that looks north to North Carolina and the Blue Ridge mountains. Fall or spring would surely be a great time backpack this section! The 5.7 mile stretch between Laurel Fork Falls and Cane Brake (The Toxaway River)follows the shoreline of Lake Jocassee. The trail continued losing elevation and off in the distance we could see the road where our hike finished. I am wondering what section of the Foothills Trail would be the best to take my girlfriend on. After leaving that strenuous climb behind you, the grade of trail … Just last year the summit was clear-cut and a large viewing platform was built. Our water is running low but we’re lucky to find a stream flowing over a slick rock face. Get the app Foothills Trail ... A beautiful trail through the foothills in North and South Carolina. It’s exciting, but a little treacherous, when the trail has us climbing over and around them. Then the Foothills Trail veers off to the left and is a part of Pinnacle Mountain Trail. If we were to continue straight up the mountain we would be on the Ridge trail that takes you back to Table Rock. We keep trudging along and pass half a dozen bridges with no campsite in sight. The Foothills Trail finally splits off to the left to traverse the ridge and leave Table Rock State Park. This section is highly trafficked due to it’s accessibility and beauty. Treffen Sie eine Wanderung mit The Local Hiker. We have done overnight trip in Paris Mountain State Park to the North Lake and camp on the lake. If you purchase the guide through the link, you won’t pay anything extra, but we’ll get a small commission. Once at the trailhead, we filled out some more hiker information at the Nature Center just to be safe, and then we were on our way! Subscribe to our mailing list and get newsletters to your email inbox. Soon the vegetation starts to close in on us and it makes our way even harder as the trail hasn’t mellowed out at all. If you want to give her more adjustment to backpacking there is also the option of hiking the trails in Jones Gap state Park. This next section is full of huge boulders that fell from the mountain above. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/south-carolina/foothills-trail-a9-to-a11 At this point there was another great campsite that had just been claimed – it had new fire rings and benches, nice flat tent spots and a view to die for. But maybe that’s because we picked the hottest day of the year to make the 3,500 foot trek to South Carolina’s highest point – 95 degrees with our packs on was no easy feat. The following is an affiliate link. Small potatoes compared to some of the huge climbs in the Smokies. That's 5 (or 5.7) miles, depending on how you read the map and guidebook, which are confusing at Bad Creek. Just watch out for the Hatfield's and McCoy's! It was short but a nice intro into the addiction known as backpacking. They were nearly vertical and dropped about 40 feet. The terrain here is pretty rugged. Unfortunately our clothes were still sweat-soaked from the day before. At this point, we reach a part of the forest that burned in a wildfire in 2016. Posted on January 17, 2019 January 28, 2019 by admin. The Best Section Hikes on the AT, CDT, and PCT. The Foothills Trail Conference was established on May 23, 1974 as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization to promote and support the development of the Foothills Trail. There are many flat tent spots and new fire rings installed by Boy Scouts. Sassafras Mountain Trail Access. We have done overnight trip in Paris Mountain State Park to the North Lake and camp on the lake. There are lots of rock outcrops and some cool overhangs that we walk under. Continuing down a steep staircase the trail levels out and follows a contour line around the mountain. The 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail, 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, and 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail are collectively known as the “Triple Crown,” America’s trio of epic long-distance trails. 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