April 12, 2022
Chattooga River Trail to Licklog and Pigpen Falls
We took the lower trail, aka fisherman's trail, hoping it would be a bit easier. As in the past couple of years there was significant blow-down along the trail from 0.4 to 1.0 mile. Renee commented it was better than she encountered in early February. It did appear that much of the blow-down along the trail had been cut after passing the intersection with the actual Chattooga River Trail at 2.4 miles. Later, other hikers reported the upper, Chattooga River Trail, had been cleared. While a long hike, Garmin reporting 8.7 miles, we were rewarded with numerous wildflowers. Pigpen and Licklog Falls were beautiful.
The route
8.7 mi · 499 ft climbing · 6h 4m out, 4h 59m 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%
5 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (45)
Panoramic view of Licklog Falls. Today's Hikers (L-R): Top Row: Ray, Heather, Doris, Gerald, Linda, Inna, John, Renee, Bob, Lynn & Mike; Bottom Row: Christine, Jenny, Terre & Vic. The trailhead and getting started. What's everyone looking at? Interesting "Flybrary" for the fishermen mounted at the trailhead kiosk. Blow-downs along the first part of the trail! Thought we would never get through them. Lots of rutting by wild hogs in the meadow just after the trailhead. Scenes along the Chattooga River. Fishermen on the Chattooga River. And Beavers, too. A couple of mating Common mergansers on the Chattooga. Pigpen Falls Another photo of Licklog Falls. Lunch at Licklog Falls. Lunch photos. Vic growing an organic beard. Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina) Autumn Olive, aka Spring Silverberrry (Elaeagnus umbellata) Pretty, but this plant is not native. "A noxious weed shrub, sadly still sometimes promoted for "wildlife plantings", per Weakley's Flora. Indian Cucumber Root (Medeola virginiana) just coming up. Catesby's Trillium(Trillium catesbaei) Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine laciniata) Red and Yellow Toadshade Trillium. Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) Ginger / Little Brown Jugs (Hexastylis arifolia ) blooming. Interesting the color variations of this one clump of violets Mayapple patch. Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) Robin's Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) Dwarf Iris (Iris verna) Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) Dog-hobble (Leucothoe axillaris) Halberd-leaved Violet (Viola hastata) Yellow Violet, Round-Leaved (Viola rotundifolia) Wood Anemone (Anemone lancifolia) Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) Small Bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia) Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus axillaris) Could this be Persistent Trillium? Unlikely. Ground pine & Ground cedar Bluet (Houstonia serpyllifolia) Common Cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis) Attractive rock wall along the old roadbed of the trail. We speculated on how they removed that rock during construction. . . Dynamite perhaps. Good thing we don't really need this sign. Palmate-leaved or Early Blue Violet (Viola palmata) An interesting tree along the trail.