Of hundreds of trails in South Carolina, nine have earned particular distinction as National Recreation Trails. They earned this designation because they are particularly valuable to South Carolina’s trail network and the federal government wanted to include them in our National Trails System.  

 Click on a region

NOTE: Information about National Recreation Trails follows the trail listings.

UPCOUNTRY

Greenville County

Jones Gap (5.3 miles)

Oconee County

Foothills (28.4 miles)

Pickens County

Table Rock (3.4 miles)

MIDLANDS

Aiken County

North Augusta Greeneway (7.5 miles)

York County

Kings Mountain Hiking (16 miles)

TNT Motorsport Park (6.0 miles)
 

LOW COUNTRY

Beaufort County

Marsh Boardwalk (0.4 mile)

Charleston County

Bull Island Wildlife (2.0 miles)

Mullet Hall Equestrian Center  (20 plus miles of trails)

Charleston/Berkeley

Swampfox Passage of Palmetto Trail  (42 miles)

Colleton County

Edisto Nature (1.5 miles)

Dorchester County

Francis Biedler Forest Boardwalk (1.7 miles)

What is a National Recreation Trail?

But what exactly is this system? In 1968, Congress passed the National Trails System Act primarily to provide federal assistance to the Appalachian Trail. However, the act also established our “national system” of trails. The system includes four trail types: National Scenic Trails, National Historic Trails, National Recreation Trails, and Side or Connecting Trails. Congress named the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails as our inaugural National Scenic Trails. Today, the National Trails System consists of congressionally designated national scenic trails (continuous protected scenic corridors for outdoor recreation) and national historic trails (prominent past routes of exploration, migration, and military action). The historic trails generally consist of protected sites and trail segments, so they may not necessarily run continuously.

National Recreation Trails may vary in length, terrain, difficulty, and accessibility. But they can include nature trails, river routes, and historic tours. Public and private agencies at the local, state, or national levels manage these trails.

South Carolina’s National Recreation Trails include a wide variety of trail types, uses, lengths, topography, history, and physical challenges. Five of the trails occur in the Coastal Plain: Bull Island Wildlife Trail, for instance, makes an easy traverse through a remote island in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Conversely, the Table Rock Trail climbs 2,000 feet in 6.8 miles to the summit of Table Rock Mountain in Greenville County. It’s one of the most popular trails in South Carolina and on fall weekends it overflows with church groups, day-hikers, families, and backpackers alike.

Regardless of what brings you outdoors, it’s a good idea to follow some simple rules on all these trails:

• Adequate footwear can help avoid discomfort.

• Rain gear includes more than an umbrella. Hiking outfitters sell a variety of jackets and pants you can depend upon to keep foul weather off your hide and modern synthetics have all but replaced cotton as the outdoor clothing of choice.

• Drinking unpurified water can lead to severe intestinal disorders. Expect that at least some of the water in South Carolina carry the protozoa Giardia. This is a parasite you don’t want in your body, so drink only filtered or treated water.

• It doesn’t have to be cold for hypothermia to occur. Proper dress will go a long way toward preventing the sudden loss of body heat, especially after sudden rainstorms. Symptoms of hypothermia include shivering and disorientation; so pay attention to members of your party.

• Conversely, humidity and hot summer days offer their own hazards including heat exhaustion and sunburn. Mosquitoes and other flying insects can be a terrible nuisance in the summertime which makes insect repellant a handy preventative tool.

• Poisonous snakes in South Carolina include the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and the copperhead, which you may eventually encounter if you spend enough time outside. Avoiding them is usually simple enough: Just give the snake a wide berth. Remember that there are at least four-dozen species of snakes in South Carolina, only a handful of which are poisonous.

• Stay on designated trails. Every time you tread in an area that was previously untouched, you are altering the terrain for subsequent generations.

• Hunting is allowed in some hiking areas during certain times of the year.

• Leave no trace. Pack in everything you pack out. We shouldn’t have to repeat this so often, but trash is a common problem in popular outdoor destinations. If you can pack out your own trash and a piece of waste left by another, less-considerate hiker, we’ll all enjoy the wilderness more.

• Respect wildlife, plants and trees. There are many places in South Carolina you may have the opportunity to spot a black bear or rare species of bird. Some 1,600 known plant species make their home in South Carolina; mountain wildflowers bloom throughout the year and hardwoods turn brilliant colors each autumn. Respect all these elements of the environment by leaving them alone. Don’t cut live trees for firewood and use a portable stove when cooking in the backcountry.