Rail Trail

Cathedral Aisle

(Aiken County)

Description: The easy, three-mile Cathedral Isle Trail has a colorful history as well as beauty going for it. This loop is part of a 65-mile network crisscrossing Hitchcock Woods, a protected forest within the city of Aiken for over 50 years. Primarily trails and old sandy roads, the area is open to equestrians, hikers, dog walkers, joggers, and horses with carriages. No bikes or motorized vehicles are permitted. In the late 1800s, two wealthy Northerners, Lulie and Thomas Hitchcock, discovered the area. Hitchcock used his millions to buy land around the abandoned railroad tracks for a hunting preserve. And in 1939, he and his daughter, Helen Clark, set aside 1,200 acres with a stipulation that the land never be “sold to a private individual or firm.” A private foundation now manages the woods with the help of volunteers and contributions.

Length: Three-mile loop.

Fees: None

Directions: From US 1 in Aiken, drive south on York Street, and then turn right onto South Boundary Street. Continue downhill and look for the parking area at a gated road.

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Camping: There is no camping at Hitchcock Woods.

Information: Hitchcock Woods, South Boundary and Laurens St., Aiken, SC 29801 Telephone: 803-642-0528. You may also try the Aiken Chamber of Commerce, 121 Richland Ave. E, Aiken, SC, 29801. Telephone: 803-641-1111.

South Carolina State Trails Program
South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
1205 Pendleton Street :: Columbia, SC 29201 :: 803-734-0173
Webmaster: bswanson@scprt.com
Updated: October 21, 2005
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