July 9, 2024
Chattooga River/ Foothills Trail South from Burrell's Ford Campground
near Mountain Rest, SC
The weather was the biggest challenge today with the very high humidity and no wind making the mild 67 °F to 82 °F temperatures seem much higher. Thank goodness for the high tree canopy providing good shade for the hike. Despite being quite wet from overnight rains, the trail was in the best condition in many years showing some good maintenance. It still has lots of roots and rocks from the heavy use. Hiking constantly in sight of the sight and sound of the Chattooga River is a nice feature of this trail. I forgot how large and beautiful King's Creek Falls is. There were not too many wildflowers to see today. All-in-all, still a great day for a hike and thanks to Heather for her backup GPX file.
TODAY'S HIKERS: Heather Wall with Toby, Mike Bell, Kim Johnson, Jenny Bell, Edwin Pruitt, Vic Robson, Jim Driggers & Matt Henderson with Toby.
The route
6.7 mi · 768 ft climbing · 4h 31m out, 4h 11m walking · 1.6 mph moving
Elevation
Hover over the profile to see the elevation and steepness. Your position will be shown on the map.
- Steepness
- Gentle under 5%
- Moderate 5–10%
- Steep 10–15%
- Very steep over 15%
21 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (21)
A nice reflection on the Chattooga River near Burrell's Ford at the start of our hike. Today's hikers on the Chattooga River (L-R): Heather with Toby, Mike, Kim, Jenny, Edwin, Vic, Jim & Matt with Toby. Are you ready? Heather is checking out Burrell's Ford as we start our hike. The trail was in pretty good shape today showing ongoing maintenance. Mostly Wild Potato Vine (top) and Beggar Lice (bottom) today. Both Tobys couldn't resist cooling off in the Chattooga River at every chance. Surprise! A few Rhododendron were still in bloom along the trail. Headed up the trail. Lots of nice views along the Chattooga River. Matt spotted this interesting burl suggesting a "bear hugging" the tree. Some interesting fungus today, especially the large one in the lower right frame. Time to turn around and head back. Lunch on a large rock outcrop into the Chattooga River. Toby checking out the rapids in the river. Up and down the Chattooga from our lunch spot. Headed up the trail to King's Creek Falls. Some Wild Hydrangea along the way. King's Creek Falls is really beautiful, but not flowing quite as much as we have seen in the past. How about that Blue-tailed Skink sunning on top of a log. Are we there yet?