Foothills Trail

Foothills Trail is a 76-mile (122 km) National Recreation Trail running through South Carolina and North Carolina. The route goes from Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park and is intended for recreational hiking and backpacking.

The trail passes through the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest, Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Whitewater Falls, and Lake Jocassee. The main corridor uses foot travel (horse and bicycles are not part of the route).

Long sections include multiple major ups and downs built around several named places rather than a single ridge line—plan for steep climbing and descending in the stretches near Whitewater Falls, the Chattooga River corridor, and the Oconee-side approach toward the terminus.

A key high-elevation segment is Table Rock State Park to Sassafras Mountain: it’s an 8.8-mile (14.2 km) stretch that climbs over 2,300 feet (700 m). From Sassafras Mountain onward, the trail continues over Chimneytop Gap and toward Laurel Valley, then down to Laurel Fork Falls and onward.

Several other named waypoints structure multi-day planning: boat access to Lake Jocassee at Laurel Fork Falls and at Canebrake; a Bad Creek Access area with short spurs to Lower Whitewater Falls Overlook and the Bad Creek Visitors Center; and an Upper Whitewater Falls section that parallels the Whitewater River before continuing toward Sloan Bridge and Fish Hatchery Road.

There are spur and alternate routes off the main line. Spurred trails include Sassafras Mountain to Caesars Head State Park, and an Eastatoe Gorge dead-end spur into the Eastatoe Gorge Natural Area. An alternate route also exists: Fork Mountain Trail is described as a 12.2-mile (19.6 km) alternative from Sloan Bridge that rejoins Foothills Trail above Burrell’s Ford.

More information: Official website, Official website, Conditions