Recently, our sister cities (RALtoday + AVLtoday) up in North Carolina shared a piece about their state’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail. We were feeling pretty jealous about this rad trail that traverses the entire state of NC, until we discovered we have our very own cross-state trail right here in South Carolina called The Palmetto Trail. #DYK: These trails are two of only 16 cross-state trails nationwide?
The Palmetto Trail was established in 1994 to provide South Carolinians with 500 miles of cross-state hiking + biking trails from Walhalla in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Awendaw on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Currently, roughly 370 of the 500 miles across 14 counties have been completed, but when finished, the trail will be our state’s longest pedestrian and bicycle trail + largest trail construction project. The estimated cost to complete the trail is approximately $20 million. (You can learn more about the Master Plan here or make a donation to finish the project here.)
If you don’t have the stamina (or the PTO) to take the 20-30 days needed to thru-hike The Palmetto Trail, completing one or a few of the 26 different passages that make up the trail is a great option. The passages range from 1.3 to 47 miles in length and vary in difficulty and types of activities permitted.
Multiple sections of trail pass through the Upstate, so here are a couple for you to try with this beautiful fall weather upon us.
For the cyclists, Peach Country Passage. 🚲
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 14.1 miles
Permitted Activities: Biking, hiking, walking, and running
“Ideal for bicycling, the scenic Peach Country Passage is routed from Inman to Landrum along back roads dotted with peach orchards. Past the sidewalks of Inman and Chapman High School, cyclists and hikers climb Windmill Hill, the highest point of the passage.”
For the hikers, Poinsett Reservoir Passage. 🥾
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 6.6 miles
Permitted Activities: Hiking
“Poinsett Reservoir Passage travels the mountain ridges along the northern boundary of Poinsett Watershed. This pristine watershed of 19,000 acres contains the headwaters feeding Poinsett Reservoir of the Greenville Water System (GW). Rare plants and animals inhabit this unique watershed, and GW enforces strict rules to keep the environment unspoiled.”
So take a hike, on The Palmetto Trail that is, because we really like y’all.
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