State Highpoints - Sassafrass Mtn, SC

A new adventure! Join me to claim the State Highpoint of South Carolina!  Early September might still be a little early for leaf peeping but the Sassafrass Mtn/Table Rock area is my all-time favored place for a hike any time of the year. Some say that Table Rock offers the best views in the East and Sassafrass Mtn is the highest point in South Carolina.  Come see what you think.  

We will begin our hike at the Nature Center in the park at 1160 feet and go via the Table Rock Trail to the top of the park's eponymous mountain at 3124 feet. We start out along some scenic streams, and then go up stone steps installed by men of the CCC during the Great Depression (the one in the 30s). After passing Governors Rock, we continue on to Table Rock (more info) from where we enjoy the view out over the piedmont and the Table Rock Reservoir.  

Next it is down to Panther Gap, and back up to Pinnacle Mountain at 3425 feet (more info). This is the highest mountain entirely in South Carolina but not the highest point in South Carolina. To reach the official State Highpoint on Sassafras Mountain (more info) --- somewhat ironic, the summit of Sassafras is actually in North Carolina but even the "South Carolinian shoulder" of Sassafras is still higher than anything else in SC --- we will descent Pinnacle Mtn, then take a sharp right turn at the end of the steep section. Following the Foothills Trail for about ~4.5 miles will take us to the SC high point marker.

After "claiming" the summit by taking the mandatory summit picture(s) and having a short snack/drink, we will retrace our steps, following the Foothills Trail all the way back to the Nature Center at Table Rock State Park. The trail offers many great views including Bald Rock Overlook.

Note:  This hike is ~20 (twenty) miles, and it has a lot of elevation gain.  We will not be rushing through this but please don't sign up for it unless you know you can complete a long hard hike at a reasonable pace. The tripleader will reserve the right to remove folks from the sign-up list that lack the necessary hiking experience.

IMPORTANT: This is a long hike with an early carpool departure time (the Saturday carpool meets at the Indian Trail P&R at 5 AM).  If you would like to avoid getting out of bed at 4 AM, I suggest that we meet on Friday afternoon for the drive up to Table Rock State Park (around 3 PM at Indian Trail P&R).  The plan is to camp at or near the park (individual reservation by trip participants is required!)  (see Table Rock Lodging Info). The trip leader will be staying at campsite 043 on loop A (there can be six people/two cars per site and there are bathrooms and hot showers at the campground - let me know if you would like to reserve a spot at my campsite). There are a few additional sites available if you would like to reserve a spot nearby.  If you choose to drive on Saturday morning, please make sure that you are ready to hike at the Table Rock Nature Center parking lot no later than 7:45 AM.

We will start the hike at 7:45 AM! The estimated hiking time will be 8 to 10 hours, so we should be back at the Nature Center before darkness. However, this is an exploratory hike and it might be worth carrying a headlamp. 

After the hike, some folks might choose to spend another night at Table Rock campground (I have reservations at site 043 for Saturday night as well) while the rest of the group heads back to ATL. There is a great place to stop for dinner and some hearty southern style BBQ. 

Get on I-85 North and stay on it for 99 miles till Exit 21 in SC. Go West on US 178 for about 15 miles to the Hardees in Liberty, which will be on your right.  This is where we will have our pit stop.  Then get back on 178 and continue about another 15 miles to SC11. Turn right on SC 11 and go 4.3 miles to Table Rock State Park on left. Follow signs to Nature Center.

No pre-payment is required for this trip. However, there is a $2 per person park entrance fee. In addition, trip participants are responsible for organizing their own accommodation (tent, cabin, hotel room...).