From Peak to Prosperity on the Palmetto Trail

The Palmetto Trail is South Carolina’s longest pedestrian & bicycle trail and will measure 500 miles when finished, stretching from Walhalla in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Awendaw on the Intracoastal Waterway. Established in 1994, 350 miles of trail have been completed so far, eleven of which make up the Peak to Prosperity Passage.

Using the railbanking process, Palmetto Conservation purchased an 11 mile, 200” wide right-of-way from Norfolk Southern Railroad. The first 6.5 miles of the passage were opened to the public in 2009 after two volunteers, Charles Weber and Furman Miller, cleared and decked eight trestles. The trail has a total of 20 trestles, mostly crossing back and forth over Crims Creek, which parallels the trail to flow into the Broad just south of the Parr Reservoir.

Alston Trailhead

The east end of the passage is in Alston. Fairfield County donated the funds to develop the small trailhead park that includes the parking area, as well as a canoe launch and picnic tables right on the Broad River. A popular fishing spot, we saw the US Fish & Wildlife Service releasing fingerlings into the river on our recent visit.

From Alston, the trail crosses the Broad River on a former trestle, thanks to SC Parks, Recreation & Tourism who funded the conversion. The 1,100-foot-long bridge is a wonderful vantage point for glimpsing bald eagles, and turtles can usually be spotted sunning on the banks below. The trestle is also a popular location for photography and birdwatching. This first ½ mile section of trail is an official Kids in Parks TrackTrail (opened in June, 2020), you can find the brochures here.

Once across the bridge, the trail enters Newberry County and skirts Peak, SC. Established in the early 1850s to house workers building the Greenville and Columbia Railroad, it was named for railroad superintendent, H.T. Peak. The town incorporated in 1880, witnessed Federal troops destroying the tracks in 1865, and survived multiple fires, the most recent in 1978.

An access trail into Peak

The area between the Saluda River and the Broad River that the trail traverses west of Peak is known as the Dutch Fork, named for the Pennsylvania Dutch that settled the area between 1730 and 1766 when the SC government offered incentives for foreign Protestants to settle the backcountry.

Make sure to climb the stairs down to Crims Creek at Nathan's Trestle (#6). The rock structure that can be seen there is the original trestle buttress built in 1848 as part of the Greenville to Columbia Railroad. The trestle was burned in 1865 by the Union cavalry while withdrawing from the Confederate forces of Palmer's brigade, who were advancing from Newberry. 

Nathans Trestle 

At milepost 6.5 the trail passes by Pomaria. Originally named Countsville, there was a post office as early as 1823. In 1840 it was renamed Pomaria for William Summer’s nearby Pomaria Nursery; the root of the town’s name – pomology – is the study of fruit cultivation, which was a specialty of Summer. The Columbia and Newberry Railroad line came through in 1851, and the town was incorporated in 1903.

After crossing under Interstate 26, the trail soon arrives at Kibler Bridge Trailhead, the current western-most parking area for the passage (the trail continues another 1.25 miles west to just north of Eptings Pond). I recommend leaving a car at the Alston trailhead and then driving to Kibler Bridge if you plan on hiking/biking the trail one way; when traveling the trail east, you are descending around 225 feet in elevation to the Broad River over the 10 miles, and the Broad River Bridge makes a great finale to the adventure.

Turn-off for parking area on Kibler Bridge Road

Additional amenities include a campground between trestles 11 and 12 (at around mile marker 5.25), water and supplies at the Pomaria trailhead, and parking areas in Pomaria, Hope Station and Kibler’s Bridge. There are stairs at several of the trestles that lead down to picnic areas, and educational signage detailing the history and nature of the area along the way.

You can find the Palmetto Trail Peak to Prosperity Passage page here. 

Download the map here. 

The rail trail features a dozen small, round signs with QR codes you can scan into your phone or tablet to learn about the history, culture and natural resources of the area. Read more here. 

Finally, Tom at Random Connections has a great write-up here. 

Glendale Shoals Preserve

The story of the small town of Glendale is similar to that of Greenville. The textile industry thrived in the Upstate, mill towns flourishing on the banks of rivers such as the Reedy and Lawson’s Fork Creek, until cheaper labor overseas, technology and automation, and international trade agreements led to its demise. Today, the former milltown boasts an Upstate hidden gem – Glendale Shoals Preserve.

Located just six miles east of Spartanburg, Glendale owes its presence to Dr. James Bivings who arrived in the area around 1830 and started a cotton manufacturing company. Bivingsville Mill was profitable until the late 1840s, when Bivings sold his share and left the area. After the partners declared bankruptcy the mill was auctioned off, and one of the businessmen involved in the purchase later bought out his partners and took over mill operations. In 1878 Dexter Converse (founder of D.R. Converse Co. as well as Converse College) renamed the town & mill Glendale, and the mill prospered until the collapse of the textile industry in SC.

The mill shut down in 1961, and then in 2004 there was a fire (see the Glendale website for photographs); today only ruins remain. The site has been incorporated into the Glendale Shoals Preserve, a 13-acre park that includes a pedestrian bridge, the dam, the shoals, a canoe/kayak launch and nature trails.

Glendale Shoals, as seen from north bank of Lawsons Fork Creek

Parking is located behind the Glendale Post Office, adjacent to the Goodall Environmental Studies Center. Part of Wofford College, the center includes a garden, vineyard, laboratory, classroom/conference center (the restored former mill office), and an amphitheater. When starting your explorations here don’t overlook the “Poet’s Garden” with its hidden view of the dam and ‘take a poem, leave a poem” mailbox.

The garden, vineyard, and former mill office

Glendale Shoals Trail on the north side of Lawsons Fork Creek is about ½ of a mile long. It leads through the mill ruins, past a Labyrinth (built by the Philosophy in Action Living-Learning Community at Wofford College), and through a segment of woods to the border with private property. At this end there is a small seating area, as well as a sandy bank on a section of river that is sometimes used as a swimming hole. There are no trespassing signs indicating the end of the preserve. A connector to the Glendale Greenway can be used for a loop hike that totals about 1 mile from the parking area.

The labyrinth, with a mill tower in the background

Once back at the parking area, head across the Glendale Bridge to reach the trails on the south bank of the creek. The Pratt truss-style bridge was originally built in 1928 to replace an old one-lane bridge, and featured a new pedestrian lane in addition to the two lanes for automobile traffic. In 1977 a 250-foot reinforced concrete bridge was built to replace the structure, rerouting traffic on a more direct route to the west.  The 1928 bridge was recently reopened to pedestrians in 2018 after a full restoration, and has a scenic view of the shoals and to the pond on the opposite side.

In additional to textiles, the iron industry also predominantly features in the history of Glendale. The iron ore along the banks of the creek, limestone bedrock and available timber were all contributing factors to the establishment of iron works on the banks of Lawsons Fork Creek, just west of the park. The iron works were served by one of the earliest roads in the Upstate, "Georgia Road,” an important route during the colonial and Revolutionary War eras. As the iron works were on the opposite shore from the town of Glendale, a bridge was necessary to allow workers to cross the creek, necessitating the 1800s precursor to Glendale Bridge.

Having crossed Lawsons Fork, there is a staircase descending to the creek and the trail that runs just under ½ mile along the south bank. After heavy rains portions of the trail may be inaccessible/dangerous, however the views of the shoals and dam waterfall are better from this side of the river. There are two points of access from Emma Cudd Road; keep in mind parking on this side is more of the gravel pull-off than parking lot variety.

During the summer the exposed rock is a beautiful place for a picnic, while the sandy area off Glendale Shoals Trail is great for building sand castles. (Side note: one thing to remember is that debris and trash frequently get deposited in these flood zones during high water events; glass and other hazards could pose a hazard to children at play.) Progress is being made on the invasive exotics along the creek, and the garden is well tended and interesting for kids to explore.  At just under an hour’s drive from Greenville, Glendale Shoals is well worth a stop while in the Spartanburg area.

The Rapids of Chau Ram County Park

The beauty of the South Carolina State Parks is no secret, nor is it a surprise that they can get quite crowded on occasion… The number of visitors on some weekends is so high that it’s one in for every one car out (such as at Jones Gap), or you get cars parking on the sides of curvy mountain roads (Caesars Head). While some measures are being taken to alleviate the stress of increased usage (including expanding parking areas and even purchasing additional acreage), we enjoy heading to lesser known areas now and then for a more solitary experience. The newest park to be added to this list is Chau Ram County Park.

Canopener rapid

Located west of Westminster on 200 acres along the Chauga River, the park is managed by Oconee County Parks, Recreation and Tourism. It takes just over an hour to get there from Greenville, but the drive is worth it as it’s easy to spend an entire day on the river and trails. To extend your visit, book one of the 26 campsites with water and electricity, or reserve a picnic shelter or the recreation building for a larger event. However, there are multiple picnic areas that are first come, first serve, so bring a picnic and plan on staying a while!

Map of Chau Ram County Park

Chau Ram is named for its location at the confluence of the Chauga River and Ramsey Creek. Park in the lower of the two parking areas adjacent to the rec building and office, and you’re just feet away from Ramsey Creek and right at the base of Ramsey Creek Falls. The creek cascades 30-40ft over large builders on its way to the Chauga, a large granite outcrop serving as an ideal picnic space if the nearby picnic shelters are occupied.

Ramsey Creek Falls, also known as Chau Ram Falls

Crossing a small bridge over Ramsey Creek will take you to additional picnic areas, Upper and Lower Falls Trail, and the beach area on the Chauga. The sandy area is shallow with easy access, allowing an alternative to playing in the deeper, faster-moving waters up and down the river.

Looking upstream from the bridge, beach to left and pump house visible in distance

There are five sets of rapids on the Chauga River which are accessible by the 4-mile network of trails and the 175 foot pedestrian suspension bridge over the river. The bridge is the longest of its kind in the County, and is easily set in motion while it’s being crossed – the kids definitely liked the swinging more than the parents!

Chau Ram suspension bridge

The trails criss-cross the west bank of the Chauga, with the orange trail creating a loop to the south, the blue trail creating a loop to the north, and the red trails extending from the primitive camp site in the middle to the scout cabin and north to the blue trail. To hike a 1.5 mile loop that passes all the rapids, head north on the orange, then blue trail, and follow it along the Chauga until you can see the Long Creek Highway bridge. Climb the stairs and continue on the blue trail until you reach the primitive camp site; just past that turn south on the orange trail to return to the Chauga River, returning to the suspension bridge along the river.

Hiking in this direction you’ll first come to Pump House Rapids, named for the pump house across the river. The noise from the pumps is ever-present, although it is interesting to see how the City of Westminster uses the river as a water-intake area.

Pump House Rapids on the Chauga River

The narrow trail continues along the river, and late summer and early autumn we paid extra attention to the poison ivy that seems ever-present in this region and in some spots reached out over the trail. Soon we reached Lost Paddle Rapids, where summer weekends you can watch kayakers navigating the rocky waters, and imagine how the rapids got its name.

Lost Paddle Rapid on Chauga River

Not too much further is Jump Off Rock (although on our recent visit there wasn’t going to be any jumping as the water was too low), and then soon after the Double Red Trail splits off towards the Primitive Camp Site area we began to hear the sound of traffic. Just when Long Creek Highway comes into view, the trail takes a sharp turn, climbs up several flights of stairs, and then heads steadily south along the park boundary.

After the Primitive Camp site you’ll reach a four way intersection. Going north on the Red Trail takes you to the Scout Cabin and the Double Red Trail, continuing east on the Blue Trail takes you back to the Suspension Bridge and Pump House Rapids, and turning right on the Orange Trail takes you on a steep descent south to Morgans Rock and the V Rapids. There is a short spur trial (the White Trail) that goes a few hundred feed further to the west, but at this point the Orange Trail turns east along the Chauga.

V Rapids on Chauga River

My favorite spot in the park is Canopener Rapids, about halfway from the V Rapids back to the bridge. The large, flat rock is ideal for a picnic, or to just spend a moment next to the water as it cascades down the boulders on its way to the South Carolina/Georgia border. The headwaters of the Chauga are up west of Oconee State Park; from there the river passes through the Chauga Narrows, forms the Chauga Scenic River area that is extremely popular with anglers, and runs over Riley Moore Falls before hitting the five sets of rapids at Chau Ram and continuing south.

#DestinationOconee #ChauRamPark

This corner of South Carolina is wild & scenic, with the Sumter National Forest to the northeast, dozens of waterfalls including Yellow Branch and Brasstown Falls, Stumphouse Tunnel, and the (officially) Wild & Scenic Chattooga River all within relatively short driving distance. But why hurry on, as you’ve got everything right here in Chau Ram County Park…

Chau Ram County Park is open from March 1 through November 11^th and admission is $2/car. Click here to book a campsite, and here for the Oconee County Parks, Recreation & Tourism Chau Ram facebook page.

The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts

We were in town for the Highlands Food & Wine Festival, and on our way from one event to the next we made the most fortuitous wrong turn...

In attempt to turn around on Franklin Road we found ourselves crossing a little creek on a storybook covered bridge before pulling into a parking area surrounded by sculpture and the beautiful buildings of The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts. The six-acre campus has been the center’s home since 2009, and at its heart is the three-story, 27,500-square-foot Main Building by DeWolf Architecture and Lord Aeck & Sargent Architecture. The wood structure has a timeless look, easily fooling us into thinking that it was a restored historic barn or mill. This is where the permanent collection is housed, as well as the temporary exhibitions and a café. An outdoor terrace lies to one side, while in the rear are studios, an education amphitheater and the sculpture garden.

Nearby is a 2,500 square-foot barn rebuilt for use as the ceramics studio. The Dave Drake Studio Barn is home to workshops & year-round classes for adults and children, in addition to the “Art by Appointment" custom-designed classes for individuals or groups. The adjacent PcPhail Kiln Barn houses the kiln where all the pottery made on-site is fired.

The Horst Winkler Sculpture & Nature Trail winds through the property offering up-close looks at several of the large works of art, the native flora, a brook, and a small waterfall. Once a farm, the land still bears trace of native plants such as ferns, Solomon's seal and trillium. Outdoor classrooms and a rustic pavilion offer the perfect setting for group outings, and the lovely scenery lends itself well as a backdrop for private events. You can also attend one of the festivals held on its grounds; programming at The Bascom includes a wide range of exhibitions, a permanent art collection, the aforementioned workshops, and numerous community events including a wine festival, garden festival and Autumn festival. For a list of current and upcoming exhibitions, click here.

The Will Henry Stevens Covered Bridge we entered through was built and restored traditionally to form a unique entrance to the center in 2008/2009. The lattice work of the 87ft-long bridge was originally from the Bagley Covered Bridge of Warner, New Hampshire (circa 1807). Historically spanning the Warner River, it was deemed unfit for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and what was possibly New Hampshire's oldest covered bridge, it spent the next 40 years in storage after being removed in 1966. Nearly 60% of old-growth white pine had to be replaced, but the bridge stayed true to its original construction and used no metal fasteners or supports; the over 1,100 tree-nails, dowels and trunnels are a work of art in its own.

The Bascom has developed into a creative resource for the community, and reflects western North Carolina’s passion for the arts. From the individual studios that dot the mountain roads of the area to the artists’ communities such as the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway and The Bascom, the region is awash with history and culture – and sometimes it takes a ‘wrong’ turn to reveal these treasures to the casual traveler.

The Bascom Center has a facebook page, a Wordpress blog (updated by the current artist in residence), Instagram and Twitter feeds, YouTube and LinkedIn accounts in addition to their website!

Hagood Mill

Just outside of Pickens, South Carolina is the historic property of Hagood Mill. The operational water-powered gristmill is on the National Register of Historic Places (listed in 1972), and is the centerpiece of the Hagood Mill Historic Site and Folklife Center and its monthly festivals.

History

The tributary of Twelve Mile River was formerly known as Jennings Creek, and mills have existed on the site since the 1790s. In 1845 James Hagood built the current mill on what is now the Hagood Branch, and operations continued until 1966. In 1973 the mill and surrounding acreage was donated to Pickens Country Museum, and over the years additional historic buildings have been constructed on site: two restored log cabins, a blacksmith shop, a moonshine still and a cotton gin.

Things to do at Hagood Mill 

Nature Trail

The 0.75 mile Nature Trail starts just behind the rock art building at the old outhouse. The trail follows Hagood Creek up to Prater’s Creek Bridge, a 64-foot steel bridge built by the Greenville Steel and Foundry Company in 1930 and brought to the site in 2007. In the autumn the hardwood trees towering over the creek are full of color, and walnuts and acorns litter the trail. After crossing the bridge the loop delivers you back to the mill, emerging on the opposite side of the creek next to the wooden water chute.

Prater's Creek Bridge

Near the end of the trail

Historic buildings

The moonshine still and cotton gin building are located adjacent to the end of the trail. This corner of South Carolina was rather infamous for moonshining, and old stills and other equipment can still be found near creeks in many places (such as Moonshine Falls). It was interesting looking at the old pictures of moonshiners and the many different set-ups that were used over the years for distilling spirits.

Moonshiners wall of fame

Over in the cotton gin building is an entire 1896 Daniel-Pratt cotton gin and cotton press, in use as recently as the 1950s. Additional tools can also be viewed, such as a 1925 horse-drawn crop duster.

To access the mill visitors must cross back over the creek. With the largest waterwheel in the state, Hagood Mill is the only waterwheel in SC still made of wood and one of the oldest known gristmills still producing grain products in the state. The water wheel and mechanical components of the mill were rebuilt in the mid-1970s and restored in the 1990s, but touring the inside of the mill you’ll see much remains as it was 170 years ago. The two story building is constructed of hand hewn logs and covered with clapboard siding, and for years was the vital gathering place that brought together rural families and friends.

The two historic Pickens County log cabins date back to 1791 and 1925, although both have been reconstructed on site. The cabins are open to visitors, as is the family farm exhibit. This area (which includes the ceramics shed and outdoor stage) is the center of the 3^rd Saturday festivals, and traditional arts, folklife and living history demonstrations that include milling, blacksmithing, cotton ginning, moonshining, spinning, weaving, bee-keeping, metalsmithing, quilting, woodcarving, flintknapping, chair caning and open hearth cooking take place on site.

Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site

In 2003 prehistoric Native American rock carvings were discovered, having long been buried under a 19^th century road. The petroglyphs were preserved, and today can be safely viewed from an observational boardwalk while listening to a historical audio presentation. The 17 human figures and other carvings are among the most significant of their kind in South Carolina.

Look for two stick figures in the center/center right of the photo

In addition to the petroglyph room, there is an additional exhibit room that has information on historic period rock art, the meaning of various figures and shapes, some petroglyphs for up-close viewing and a replica of a portion of the Hagood Creek site for hands-on exploration.

Visit a festival!

The monthly folklife festival and concert series is a huge draw, the music and other entertainment offered at the third Saturday events irresistible to adults and children alike. Many of this region's best bluegrass, old time, and blues musicians have performed at the Mill, including many SC Folk Heritage Award winners.

The next festival is tomorrow! In observance of Native American Heritage Month, Hagood Mill will be hosting a Native American Celebration on Saturday, November 18, 2017. “Visitors and guest performers will participate in the festivities of the day which will include: traditional drumming, singing, dancing, Native American flute playing, storytelling, Cherokee hymns in the Cherokee language, and traditional crafts. Demonstrations will be going on all day throughout the Mill Site including traditional Cherokee blow-gun demonstrations, traditional Catawba pottery making, beadwork, basket making, flint-knapping, finger-weaving, atl atl spear throwing, bow and arrow shooting and more.” For a full description of all the festival events, please visit the Hagood Mill Historic Site & Folklife Center Facebook page.

Bring a picnic

With multiple picnic tables located creekside near the old mill, visitors can take a break for lunch between explorations of the mill, trails and petroglyph site. Some of the resident chickens might wander over to keep you company!

Visit the Hagood Mill store

Fresh stone-ground corn meal, grits, and wheat flour ground on site are available for purchase, along with Hagood Mill cookbooks and a variety of other mill related items. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and can be a valuable resource for local facts and lore.

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There is a $5.00 parking fee on 3^rd Saturday festival days, but otherwise admission is FREE to the Hagood Mill Site as well as the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site. While in the area you might also be interested in visiting Glassy Mountain, Nine Times Preserve and Long Shoals Wayside Park, three of our favorite natural areas in the Upstate…

Croft State Park

Croft State Park might best be known for the horseback riding and mountain biking trails that zigzag its 7,000 acres, but once you’ve fished one of the two lakes, hiked on the 12-mile trail system, or set up a tent in the campground, you’ll discover that this versatile State Park just five miles from downtown Spartanburg is a perfect day-trip destination!

We most often visit Croft in the autumn when cooler temperatures make hiking more enjoyable, and as the forest is predominantly hardwoods, the fall foliage can be quite colorful. This autumn color often stretches into November, being as the park is further south than its Upstate counterparts. 

A short history:

The area was once home to a farming community, and old farmsteads and cemeteries can be found throughout the park. Whitestone Springs was a tourist attraction in the late 1800’s, and the foundation of a 4 story hotel still exists in the park today, along with evidence of the bottling business that was fed by the spring. During WWII the park became an Army infantry training camp that housed 250,000 soldiers. The camp was closed in 1947, and after two years was opened to the public as a park; today it is one of the largest State Parks in SC.

Getting there:

There are multiple entrances into the park that are connected with the network of trails. Lake Johnson on the north side and the Southside Parking lot are not accessible from Park Road (the main road that leads into the park from Dairy Ridge Rd.) by car, so consult a map beforehand so that you know where you are headed. The camping area, the equestrian facilities, the park office and access to Lake Craig are all located off Park Road, as well the 1.5-mile Nature Trail, our favorite Croft trail.

Things to do:

Although all of the horse & bike trails are open to hiking, I find the terrain and length of Nature Trail challenging enough for my 3 year old, without the stress of equine encounters. Parking for this trail is available just adjacent to the horse show ring; directly across the road is the Fairforest Creek trailhead and the Nature Trail entrance just a few hundred feet further. The Nature Trail lollipop loop trail offers a stroll through an upland mixed pine and hardwood forest before descending to the rocky shoals of Fairforest Creek.

The headwaters of Fairforest Creek are up near the intersection of Interstates 85 and 26, and after flowing through Spartanburg and Croft SP it eventually becomes Fair Forest River before emptying into the Tyger River near Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site. The creek is shallow and wide near the Nature Trail, with sandbars and large rocks that beg exploring; however, as with most rivers in the Upstate be warned that according to the State of SC “recreational uses are not supported at this site due to fecal coliform bacteria excursions.”

Upon emerging from the woods you’ll find yourself back at the Horse Show Ring. Horseback riding in South Carolina state parks is widely popular, and Croft is known around the region for its equestrian facilities and over 20 miles of trail open to horse traffic. The park regularly hosts shows in its arena, and has horse stalls available for those camping with horses.

Croft State Park also features 12.6 miles of the Palmetto Trail, the mountains-to-the-sea trail that will one day extend 425 miles from the Oconee County mountains to the Intracoastal Waterway in Charleston County. 

A visit to Croft isn’t complete without a stop at one of the two lakes. Fishing is allowed on Lake Craig and Lake Johnson, and canoes, kayaks and jon boats (as well as paddles and life jackets) are available for rent.

A children’s playground and picnic shelters are also centrally located within the park. Croft does have a shooting range; for more information on any of the amenities, please visit the Croft SP website or stop in at the Park Office!