Volunteer Opportunities in the Great Outdoors - Upstate SC & Vicinity

The outdoors has given us so much in the past year: a space to safely recreate, shared experiences as a family, and the beauty of our natural world in somewhat uncertain times. With the mantra of “give back to places you love” guiding our family’s approach to volunteer work, we have discovered there are plenty of opportunities to invest your time into the outdoor spaces and places you care about. Here are some of the volunteer stewardship opportunities in the Upstate, and how to get involved in the protection of our shared lands! 

Planting trees with TreesUpstate and Save Our Saluda

Outdoor opportunities close to Greenville

The Greater Greenville Parks Foundation created the Park Hero program to get some love for our public spaces. When you sign up to be a Park Hero, you will join other like-minded people who share a love of public lands and giving back; register online to receive notification as volunteer opportunities arise. 

Spartanburg County Parks has a similar program; the first step in helping to make the parks, community centers, and programs of Spartanburg the best they can be, is to complete the form on the Parks Department website.

Build bluebird boxes, participate in clean-ups, remove invasive species or contribute with observations for Lake Conestee Nature Preserve! Whether you and your family are interested in adopting a trail or just want to be kept in the loop about future volunteer events, visit the website and fill out the volunteer application!

TreesUpstate volunteers have helped plant over 10,000 trees in parks, schools, and neighborhoods throughout Greenville and Spartanburg Counties. Tree planting season starts back up in October and runs through March, so be sure to check back towards the end of summer for their schedule. Our family recently helped TreesUpstate plant native trees and shrubs in northern Greenville county; it was really cool knowing we were helping to protect the watershed for future generations! 

H.O.G. Day at a local school

Another website to keep your eye on is United Way’s Hands On Greenville. Hands On Greenville Day is the largest day of service for the state of South Carolina, and usually takes place in May. Volunteers spread throughout Greenville and surrounding areas to repair cabins at campgrounds for the disabled, paint playground equipment and murals at our public schools, landscape the grounds of local shelters, and beautify nearby state and city parks. Companies and organizations can create teams to participate, and are rewarded with knowing they’ve helped make a difference in our community. Fingers crossed they resume H.O.G. Day in 2022!

While applications for volunteer positions at the Greenville Zoo are currently not being accepted, teens interested in volunteer opportunities such as being a zookeeper assistant and horticultural volunteer should check the website every so often for new postings.

Sampling water on a tributary of the Reedy River

Riverkeepers

Friends of the Reedy River hosts two large, public cleanups per year - one in the spring & one in the fall - the next one taking place on September 18, 2021. FoRR can also provide assistance for private cleanups for small businesses, organizations, and community groups; find out more and sign up here.

Save Our Saluda's mission is to protect and restore the Upper Saluda Watershed through education and increased awareness of the watershed, water resource issues, and the need to help protect our rivers. Save Our Saluda often partners with other local conservation organizations; we planted native trees and shrubs along a tributary to the Saluda River a couple of months ago, with Save Our Saluda in cooperation with TreesUpstate, which was a very rewarding and also educational experience. Volunteers also assist with live staking, kudzu control and trash removal. For events and other information visit their website Save Our Saluda or contact them at info@saveoursaluda.org.

The Chattooga Conservancy protects the watershed of the Chattooga River, and you can get involved in one of their ongoing projects or join them for trash pick-ups. You can subscribe for volunteer alerts here or check their website for current info. 

Have children interested in environmental issues, or know kids who love citizen science? South Carolina Adopt-a-Stream might be the program to look into! A network of watershed stewardship, engagement, and education through involvement, volunteers play an important role in monitoring and tracking water quality while sharing information about local water resources with their communities. We help monitor two creeks near our home, and while the data collection aspect of this opportunity requires adult participation, my older kids help with everything from collecting water samples to making scientific measurements. Find out more here: The SC Adopt-a-Stream Program | Clemson University

Adopt a Waterfall with Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina! While we wish South Carolina had an organization similar to this one in NC, there are plenty of waterfalls within an easy drive of the Upstate that need to be adopted! You can learn more on their website, or from our recent article Junior Waterfall Keepers Program.

Pulling invasive species 

Botanical gardens

Hatcher Garden calls their volunteers the Hearts of Hatcher, because “that’s what they give each time they visit”! Whether it’s working in the garden, helping the office, or walking the paths as a tour guide, volunteers keep Hatcher Garden growing with their time, talent, and expertise – learn more here. 

The South Carolina Botanical Garden has suspended their volunteer program due to COVID-19, however they ask that people who are interested check back again, as that is likely to change. Volunteer in the Garden | Clemson University 

Park cleanup with Friends of the Reedy River

Community pickups

Palmetto Pride fights litter in South Carolina addressing prevention through education, supporting enforcement, connecting community groups to resources, and mobilizing volunteers. Get involved with one of their pickup events or programs!

Keep Greenville County Beautiful has a wide range of volunteer opportunities including environmental art, planting native species, litter cleanups, and community garden assistance. Find out more on their website. 

Oconee County has a similar organization, the Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission, as does Pickens County and Spartanburg County. With the proper equipment and supervision, litter pickups can be attended by kids of all ages – find your local organization, or just pack a bag on your next hiking trip! Litter is a growing problem in the Upstate – let’s do our part in fighting it! 

Related article: Leave No Trace 

Constructing trail with Conserving Carolina

Conservancies

Conserving Carolina has helped to protect nearly 46,000 acres, from the waterfalls of DuPont State Forest, to the rock faces of Hickory Nut Gorge, and in SC serves the Landrum area including parts of Greenville and Spartanburg Counties. If you are a parent who wants your child to experience the wonders of nature, one way to do that is to get involved with Conserving Carolina. My kids love Conserving Carolina volunteer days; not only do they get to use cool tools when building trail and removing invasive species, but they get to hike really cool trails with the knowledgeable and friendly Conserving Carolina crew who teach them the names of plants and animals, find salamanders for them, and show them all the best spots! Check out all the volunteering options on their website.

There are many different ways to volunteer with the Foothills Trail community, but a main focus is trail maintenance. As the Foothills Trail stretches from Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park, there are 77 miles that can use your help! For more information about volunteering, please contact maintenance@foothillstrail.org or visit https://foothillstrail.org/volunteer/.

The Palmetto Trail has passages in Oconee, Greenville and Spartanburg counties (and goes all the way to Charleston), so this is another opportunity to get involved on trail workdays. Find out more and sign up here: Volunteer – Palmetto Conservation Foundation.

Upstate Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects critical lands, waters, and the unique character of Upstate South Carolina. Currently they are offering two categories of volunteering work: event volunteers and stewardship visits. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please visit their website.

Volunteering with conservation organizations here in the Upstate has really proved to be a way for our family to get outdoors, grow together, and at the same time give back to some of the organizations protecting the wild places that we’ve fallen in love with. As a mother, I feel it is important to motivate and educate a nation of outdoor advocates, to take care of the places we share and cherish. And as a citizen of the Upstate, I feel it is imperative that we reverse the negative trends that are impacting the natural areas. Now tell me – what’s your favorite place to volunteer outdoors?

This article was first published on Kidding Around Greenville as Volunteer Opportunities in the Great Outdoors Near Greenville, SC.

New Trail at Paris Mountain State Park!

Same short drive to reach the mountains, brand new trail!

This morning we dashed out to Paris Mountain State Park for the grand opening of Sassafras Trail. The 2.3-mile lollipop loop departs from the back of the Sulphur Springs parking lot, and winds through the 160 acres that was purchased by Paris Mountain State Park Friends in 2015.

The new trail is thanks to the tireless work by the non-profit Friends organization, who raised money and secured funds from the South Carolina Conservation Bank for the purchase of the tract. Paris Mountain State Park Friends then deeded it to Paris Mountain State Park in 2019, and after a year of trail construction, new kiosk and signage, the trail is finally open to the public! It was fitting that the president of the Friends organization was on hand to cut the ribbon.

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The trail is rated moderate, mostly due to the 340 feet of elevation gain. Interesting trail features include multiple creek crossings and a quartz outcrop, and the trail is almost entirely shaded. When the Friends of Paris Mountain acquired the property, it had been extensively clear-cut. Ideally, it would have had a more pristine forest, but the present conditions offer benefits as well. The trail proves to be an excellent addition to the trail system at Paris Mountain, as it allows users to see firsthand the difference between a mature hardwood forest in comparison to an area that was recently logged. A second benefit is that as stewards of the land, the SC Park Service will allow it to return to a healthy state once again. Finally, the considerable addition of acreage to the park (10% increase in size!) is a boon to wildlife and our natural spaces in the Greenville area.

Sassafras Trail is multi-use, and was created with the increased usage of recent years in mind. Starting out in the Sulphur Springs parking area (behind shelters 5 & 6), the trail starts from the kiosk at the west end of the lot. Less than a tenth of a mile in it reaches the loop portion, with mountain bikers directed in one direction and hikers the other. The direction will alternate monthly, and ensures a safe, multi-use experience – especially for families with children! We hiked it in a counter-clockwise direction today, beginning with a rocky, rooted, easy-to-follow, blue-blazed climb through a mature forest. Once we had looped around, we entered the former clear-cut; there are several spots in this section that will probably feature views in the winter. Around 1.5 miles in we started the descent, re-entered the mature hardwoods, traversed the 3^rd creek crossing, and reached the trailhead where we started. For the Paris Mountain State Park trail map, click here.

From chatting with a couple of trail runners afterwards I understood that this is certainly a welcome addition to the Greenville trail system. While not a long trail (the Paris Mountain trails mostly average around 2 miles, but can be combined to form much longer routes), Sassafras has the challenging topography, as well as the central location that allows it to be added on to the Sulphur Springs loop or Mountain Creek trail for a longer hike/run. A couple of mountain bikers I encountered on the trail highlighted maybe the most significant factor; it will help alleviate congestion on some of the more crowded trails. And for families with school-age children, the short drive to the trailhead accommodates a quick hike in the late afternoon after school lets out.

Only a 15-minute drive from Greenville, Paris Mountain is one of the most popular state parks in SC, providing that escape to the outdoors without the long drive. But as the population and growth have surged in the Upstate in recent years, increased usage has had a considerable impact on the park in terms of effects on vegetation, visitor conflict, trail widening, and erosion. Named a “Leave No Trace Hot Spot” by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the trail ribbon-cutting is part of a five-day series of workshops, outreach programs and community events, including opportunities for community involvement; check out the website for the full schedule.

For more on Paris Mountain State Park:

• Paris Mountain State Park
• Paris Mountain's Fire Tower
• Brissy Ridge of Paris Mountain
• A Hike to Mountain Lake
• Music in the Woods (Tomorrow's concert is part of the LNT Hot Spot schedule)
• Creek Ranger Hike at Paris Mountain State Park

Junior Waterfall Keepers program

If your family enjoys participating in the Kids in Parks program and earning Junior Ranger badges at the National Parks, then the new program from Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina will have you excited to get out exploring!

What is the Junior Waterfall Keepers program?

The Junior Keepers program was kicked off this year as part of the Waterfall Keepers nonprofit, because kids love waterfalls, too!  The free program is all about exploring and learning about waterfalls and streams: water play, learning about the critters that call the creek home, exploring waterfalls, and identifying the mushrooms, wildflowers, and other plants that grow near them. The program focuses a lot on safety and good habits around a waterfall, and encourages junior waterfall keepers to leave a place better than they found it. Learn about how litter affects wildlife and water quality, and earn badges while doing it!

How do I sign up?

When you sign up to become a Junior Waterfall Keeper you’ll receive a special Junior Keeper patch and sticker. Signing up is easy; just fill out the Junior Waterfall Keeper Signup Form (find the link here: Junior Keepers | Waterfall Keepers of NC). There’s an added benefit for adults to sign up to become a member of Waterfall Keepers; family members of Waterfall Keepers who sign up for the Junior Keepers program will also receive a free pass to Chimney Rock State Park.

I’ve signed my children up – now what?

As a Junior Keeper, your kids can work on two Badge Challenges: the conservationist, and creek critters. The challenges concentrate on observing the critters and plants you find on your hike, and on improving the waterfall experience by making good choices to help our environment. New badges will be announced each year so work hard to earn them ALL!

The Waterfall Passport will be added to the program in 2022, but all the work done this year will count. The Passport includes five state parks that feature some of North Carolina’s most beautiful waterfalls, and Junior Keepers will receive passport books to keep track of all the waterfalls they visit. Currently waterfall passport info can be found online on the Waterfall Keepers website; you can download the pages to start working on these challenges now.

As a bonus, the Waterfall Keepers have developed a curriculum that adults can use with their kids or homeschool group. They can be used as a standalone adventure with kids or combined with Junior Keeper badge challenges for a fun, and educational waterfall experience.

But wait – we’re in South Carolina, isn’t this in NC?

While the Junior Keepers program is based in NC, there are dozens of North Carolina falls within an hour’s drive of Greenville! I’ve featured Chimney Rock State Park (one of the parks featured in the Park Passport) here on Femme au Foyer, and have another dozen articles with inspiration for your next waterfall adventure, in North and South Carolina, here:

• Rainbow Falls
• Behind Moonshine Falls
• Falls Creek Falls
• Station Cove Falls
• Spoonauger Falls
• Beech Bottom Falls
• Riley Moore Falls
• Little Bradley Falls in Saluda, NC
• Pearson's Falls near Saluda, NC
• Dupont State Forest and its Waterfalls
• A driving tour that takes you on a multi-waterfall exploration: Mountain Waters Scenic Byway, Highlands to Franklin
• Touring Lake Jocassee by boat: Exploring Lake Jocassee

Remember to stay safe while exploring - people have died at many of our Upstate SC waterfalls! I wrote about some of the local incidents in my article Humans Vs. Nature, and following Leave No Trace ethics is always a good decision.

There’s no denying summer is here, along with the hot weather that has every kid longing to cool off at the closest swimming hole. As you explore the beautiful waterfalls of our region this summer, earn badges with the Junior Keepers program while also learning a little something to help keep you safe, our trails enjoyable, and the tremendous beauty of these natural places intact!

Leave No Trace

With the recent celebration of Earth Day still fresh in our minds, the reports coming from many of our local natural areas are disheartening; many of our Upstate parks and green spaces are being negatively impacted by the increase in visitation due to a year of covid-influenced activity. “Loved to death” is a phrase we have been hearing more often about some of the most stunning places in our region; Max Patch on the Appalachian Trail and Chimney Tops in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are only a couple of places that have required intense clean-up efforts, even closures due to abuse and over-use. But the effects are being felt much closer to home as well, as places like the State Parks, Lake Conestee Nature Preserve, and Upstate National Forest facilities enact closures, policy changes, visitor caps, and in the case of Congaree National Park, an implementation of a lottery system during synchronous firefly season to limit disturbance to critical habitat and try to reverse harmful user trends.

We need to be better stewards of our region if we want our children to be able to experience the wonders of the natural world, and the tenets of “Leave No Trace” are a great place to start. You may have heard the acronym “LNT” – this refers to the Seven Principles of the Leave No Trace outdoor ethic, which provide a framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors. 

Why practice LEAVE NO TRACE?

While we enjoy the natural world, Leave No Trace teaches us how to minimize our impacts. Following the basic principles of LNT helps prevent the trashing of our natural areas, water pollution, damage to trails, the harming of wildlife and overcrowding, all while connecting youth to nature and providing enjoyable outdoor adventure. LNT will not cost you a cent – these are all free things you can do while enjoying the great outdoors as you normally would! It just means taking a few extra steps when preparing for your next adventure, as well as thinking things through while out and about.

Although Leave No Trace has its roots in backcountry settings, it has been adapted so that the seven principles can be applied anywhere and to almost every recreational activity — from remote wilderness areas, to local parks and even in your own backyard.

 

How can I practice LEAVE NO TRACE with my children?

The 7 Principles - Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics website details these seven tenets, with invaluable info on each of them. Here are the 7 Principles, and seven ways you and your family can recreate responsibly!

1. Plan ahead and prepare, looking into the regulations, weather, and special concerns for the area you’ll visit.

Do: Schedule your trip to avoid high times of use, and have a Plan B in case the trailhead/park is full or the park doesn’t allow pets and you’ve got your new puppy along.

Don’t: Get lost! Bring a map as back-up to your navigating app, and know what the hazards will be in the area you are visiting. Is there a lot of recent bear activity? A burn ban? Is it gnat season? Knowing these things in advance can help you plan your time outdoors so that it is relaxed and enjoyable.

Did you know that building rock cairns is considered vandalism in most of our local parks? Moving rocks around can lead to resource damage by exposing soil to wind and water erosion, and also disturbs the many critters that make their home in the protected underside of a rock. Only rarely are cairns used to mark trails in the Upstate; most often you’ll see trees “blazed”, or painted with a line to mark the trail.

Rock stacks on Cedar Rock Mountain in DuPont Forest

2. Travel & camp on durable surfaces, protecting our trails, waterways, and fragile ecosystems.

Do: Stay on the trail and utilize switchbacks, avoiding shortcuts which often cause water to wash out plants/soil and erode gullies.

Don’t: Hike on muddy trails; wet trails are fragile, and muddy/icy trails can be slippery and dangerous for kiddos.

Did you know that trying to avoid getting mud on your shoes and going around muddy spots causes what is called “trail braiding”? This widening of trails contributes to both compaction and erosion of soil. (Check out this article on hiking in wet weather!)

3. Dispose of waste properly – pack it in, pack it out!

Do: Pack a bag for your trash, and do a quick check of your campsite/trail rest stop before you leave. Apple cores, spilled trail mix and paper are still garbage – they bring animals into increased contact with humans leading to wildlife becoming sick & diseased, getting hit by cars, or becoming problem animals.

Don’t: Leave human waste and toilet paper lying around! Not only is it stinky and unsightly, but it degrades our water quality when bacteria enter our waterways!

Did you know that Googling “how to pee and poop in the woods” will bring you hours of entertainment?

Red trillium

4. Leave what you find, preserving cultural/ historic artifacts and leaving rocks and plants as you found them.

Do: Leave flowers for those who come after you to enjoy. This also ensures that our rare plants have the opportunity to reseed for healthier populations.

Don’t: transport firewood, as you can introduce pests/disease to new areas. (For more info, visit Dontmovefirewood.org)

Did you know that it is illegal to collect plants, animals and artifacts from most of our public lands?

5. Minimize campfire impacts!

Do: Use a cook stove for cooking and utilize established fire rings where fires are permitted, making sure your fire is completely out when finished.

Don’t: Be the person to start a wildfire with your Insta-photo-op!

Did you know nearly 85% of wildfires are caused by humans?

Elk, as photographed from vehicle in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

6. Respect wildlife by observing from a distance, and never feed wild animals!

Do: Respect trail closures and barriers! Sure, it’s tempting to climb the fence to get that great photo out on the ledge, but many times those barriers aren’t only there to protect you from yourself, they also help minimize effects on nesting areas and protect fragile ecosystems.

Don’t: Stack rocks in rivers! Moving rocks and creating dams to make chutes or pools in a stream causes serious damage to the delicate river ecosystem; aquatic plants and animals make their homes on, under, and around these rocks, and when people move the rocks, the nest is destroyed and the eggs and young fish die.

Did you know that waterfalls have some of the most sensitive plant ecosystems in their spray zone? When you climb up the rocks on the sides of waterfalls, you are not only endangering yourself (and possibly the lives of the first responders who will have to carry you out), but you are inadvertently creating social trails in the spray zone, encouraging erosion, and possibly helping to create slippery, unsafe areas.

7. Be considerate of other visitors.

Do: Follow social distancing guidelines as suggested by medical experts and local authorities.

Don’t: Lower the quality of other visitors’ experience by playing loud music, allowing off-leash pets, and leaving behind your trash.

Did you know that there is a hierarchy of right of way considered proper hiking etiquette? Check out this National Park Service article for the full story, but in general, hikers coming uphill have the right of way, bicyclists should yield to hikers & horses, and hikers should yield to horses and other pack stock. As a mom hiking with small kids, I yield to really just about everyone; it’s considered courteous to yield to other hikers who are setting a faster pace. 

Peachtree Rock, before and after (source 1st photo here)

Leave no Trace principle #8

Wait, I said there were only 7 principles… Well, technically there are, but in the last decade another tenet is being considered for inclusion, concerning geotagging. While LNT is not anti-geotagging, serious consideration should be given to whether or not a location is shared with every photo.

Do: Post a photo that specifies your location along with appropriate Leave No Trace information, as that is a great way to invite people into the outdoors. A geotag can empower people to research safety measures, learn about the location’s history and culture, and find out what to expect when visiting.

Don’t: Post the location of places that can’t handle increased visitation: the site of a rare flower, a sensitive waterfall ecosystem, a protected wildlife area.

Did you know that natural areas across the state are seeing an increased amount of poaching, with rare animals and flowers being targeted due to their perceived value to collectors? If you observe illegal activity on public lands, please contact SCDNR Operation Game Thief – see something, say something!

Enjoy your world, leave no trace!

There are a growing number of examples of places suffering from the negligent attitudes of visitors, such as Bald Rock Heritage Preserve – once home to protected plant species such as Piedmont ragwort and grass-of-parnassus, but today mostly housing graffiti, broken glass, cigarette butts and illegal fire rings. Or Peachtree Rock Heritage Preserve, whose namesake sandstone rock was toppled in 2013 by a combination of erosion and visitors carving their initials into the base. Luckily, the colony of rare Oconee Bell growing in Devils Fork State Park is thriving after State Park officials installed boardwalks and fencing along the Oconee Bell Trail to keep visitors from trampling the tiny flower, but other sites such as Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve has seen theft of plants over the last decade.

For my family it comes down to is this – the natural areas in the Upstate have given me so much in the last twenty years: trail time with the man who would become my husband and the father of my children, later an escape to the woods with a fussy baby, exercise to help get back into shape after a couple more kids, and most recently therapy in the form of time outdoors as our family struggles to retain some sense of normalcy in an anything-but-normal year. In return for all of that, the very least I can do is bring a trash bag when we go out, to help leave each place a little better than we found it!

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time. For future generations to have the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful natural areas like you and I do, to see undisturbed landscapes and enjoy an abundance of wildlife, leave everything as you found it — it’s really that easy. Enjoy Your World. Leave No Trace!

 

For a ton of resources on LNT, visit the Center for Outdoor Ethics LNT website. The resources there include Bigfoot’s Playbook, a collection of activities, games and initiatives that explore Leave No Trace principles, as well as youth education info and ways to get involved!

Nine Times Forest, a.k.a. Big Rock Mountain

Now that autumn has descended to the Upstate, we’re revisiting our favorite local spots to watch the progression of color as we fall into winter. One of those is Nine Times, the area named for the creek named for the nine bridges that had to be built to gain access to Nine Times Preserve, beloved for the seasonal display of wildflowers.

Also see my posts:
Nine Times Preserve
Spring Comes to Nine Times Preserve

However, just across E Preston McDaniel Road from the Preserve is an area with a similar name, but with a much different claim to fame; Nine Times Forest is known for its rock climbing and spectacular views of the Upstate. 

Located near Pickens, Nine Times Forest (a.k.a. Big Rock) was protected by Naturaland Trust in 2013 and was opened to climbers in 2017. A grant from R.E.I. partially funded the construction of a parking lot off Big Rock Lake Road, allowing easier access than the Nine Times Preserve trailhead which had provided entry up until then. Then, in 2019 after the Carolina Climbers Coalition contributed another $5,000, Naturaland Trust was able to secure a 1-acre lot north of the new parking lot – creating a buffer for future expanded parking. Big Rock is the only significant cliff open year-round in SC; it faces south and can therefore be a destination during the winter months. With around 50 routes and several hundred boulder problems, there is plenty of room to spread out. And while the trails to the top of Big Rock Mountain (1,801 ft in elevation) do require scrambling up some more challenging spots, it is still accessible to non-climbers (such as my family) who do not have the safety equipment for rock climbing. 

Two main trailheads and one or two more informal trailheads provide access to the network of trails in Nine Times Forest. The main trailhead is on Nine Times Preserve, on the corner of E Preston McDaniels Rd. and Nine Times Creek Rd. From the gravel lot, cross E Preston McDaniels to enter Nine Times Forest. You’ll see the creek trail fork to the left; also called Appalachian Lumber Trail, it parallels E Preston McDaniel Road and begins and ends at connection points to the Cedar Rock Trail on the opposite side of the road. Continue up the wide gravel road instead, and when you reach the power lines you will have two options: take a left on Naturaland Way that climbs up into the Gap, or hop onto Big Rock Mountain Summit Trail and begin your ascent up (700ft of up, to be precise) to the summit. About ¼ mile before reaching the top there is an intersection with the Gap trail, and then at the top Big Rock Mountain Road provides access to the rest of the trails within Nine Times Forest – Pink Mountain is just across the gap and is 4 feet taller than the Big Rock summit. All Trails lists this route as 2.2 miles round trip, though with all the little detours we took for scenic vantage points we tracked almost 3 miles on our most recent visit. Loops that include Pink Mountain and Big Rock will be upwards of 6 miles…

An unassuming trailhead...

The second main trailhead is at the newly constructed parking lot off Big Rock Lake Road, coordinates here: 34.954252, -82.787584. Follow the trail up to the base of Big Rock and shortly thereafter hop on the Big Rock Mountain Summit Trail to finish your ascent to the summit. This option is shorter – somewhere around 1-mile round trip – but still climbs about 500ft of elevation. The last stretch of trail to the summit has the most scrambles up rocks, but this route has a few extra challenging sections. My children have been able to navigate without problems, but it helps to have an extra set of hands, especially if you have a little in a carrier. As always, exercise caution, hike within your limits, and be aware that there are inherent dangers involved in hiking in the mountains of the Upstate. Once you venture off trail all bets are off – there are no guardrails protecting you from a fall, and steep drop-offs occur in many places! 

On the summit of Big Rock Mountain you’ll find several strategically placed rocks forming a table of sorts on a level spot, perfect for a picnic. We have celebrated my birthday here with cheese and crackers, as well as taken a breather from the baby carrier; it is a safe spot for kids to run around, a gently-sloping playing field for a break from the steep sections. There are views, although the most spectacular views are from short spur trails on your climb up (though I repeat my warning about getting off-trail… some of these spur trails are used by climbers who are clipped in to safety harnesses!). 

Every time I hike this trail, I find a new view of Upstate SC to admire. While I am still on the hunt for the spur trail that will give me a view of the ‘mushroom rock’ chimney I once saw in a photo, I am grateful for these mountains that are right here in our backyard – no need to venture to North Carolina for blue ridge views! 

For more information, please see the following resources:

• Naturaland Trust’s Nine Times Forest and Big Rock pages 
• Hikingproject.com has a good overview map of the various trails and parking areas on the Forest and Preserve
• Carolina Climbers page for Big Rock