Foothills Trail | USA, 2011

Distance:  76 miles approx. (122 km)

Start:  Table Rock State Park, SC

Finish:  Oconee State Park, NC

Avg. Time:  5 days

Maps & Info:

• I used the trail map and guidebook available from foothillstrail.org.

• Foothillstrail.org: Online source for up-to-date information on anything and everything pertaining to the Foothills Trail.

• Click here for an overview map of the Foothills Trail.

• The Foothills Trail is well marked and easy to follow from start to finish.

Highlights:

• Fall colours: I hiked the Foothills Trail in early November, 2011. Around the lower elevations of Table Rock state park, autumnal colours were still in full swing. Gorgeous.

• Waterfalls: The trail sports a series of impressive waterfalls, the most spectacular of which is Lower Whitewater Falls.

Lowlights:

• In regards to the trail itself, none that come to mind. Before beginning my hike, I did have my wallet pinched in Atlanta whilst waiting for the train to Clemson, SC.

Notes & Musings:

• Alternative Finish: Due to the fact that I wanted to link up to the Bartram Trail, I left the Foothills Trail at Lick Log creek (I think about 8 miles shy of its official terminus) and took the 4.8 mile connector (Chattooga Trail) to Russell Bridge and the beginning of the Bartram Trail.

• A big thanks to Bill Baskin and all the folk at the Foothills Trail Conference. They were having a get together at Table Rock State Park on the weekend I began my hike, so I decided to drop in and check on the latest trail conditions. Everyone was super helpful and Mr. Baskin in particular was a goldmine of information on both the Foothills and Bartram Trails (thanks for the maps, Bill!).

• Deliverance: The Foothills Trail parallels the Chattooga River for a short section. Besides being one of the premier trout fishing locations in the US, the Chattooga is famous, or rather infamous, for being the setting of the the movie Deliverance. I am happy to report that I did not spot a single toothless hillbilly during my time in the area, and indeed the only people I encountered were well-spoken fisherman and a group of boy scouts, who upon discovering I was from Australia, bombarded me with questions about snakes, sharks and the Crocodile Hunter.

• I hiked the Foothills Trail as part of a 583 mile route I called the Southeastern Serpentine Trail. It entailed a combination of 4 different hikes, namely the  Foothills, Bartram and Benton Mackaye Trails, along with the Smokies section of the AT.