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Hiking Trails in South Carolina

Things to Do › Outdoors and Hiking › Hiking Trails

14 South Carolina trails and trail systems with length, fees and dog rules as each managing group publishes them. Difficulty is shown only where the manager states it.

  • Trails14statewide
  • With Fees Noted14as published
  • Dogs Noted14as published
  • CheckedOct 262026

Trails

  • Foothills Trail

    Upstate / Blue Ridge Escarpment source

    Length
    Foothills Trail Conference: 77 miles. Forest Service: 'nearly 80 miles'. Oconee State Park page: 'South Carolina's 77-mile wilderness hike'. Oconee trails page: roughly 80 to 85 miles on the main line, almost 200 miles with connectors. Figures differ by source.
    Difficulty
    Visit Oconee: 'Sections very in length and difficulty' (no rating given).
    Fees
    Parking fees per Foothills Trail Conference: Whitewater Falls (Forest Service) $2 per day; Oconee State Park $5 per day; Table Rock State Park $6 per day per vehicle. (Forest Service page gives $3 per vehicle at Whitewater Falls; sources differ.) Kiosk registration required for day and overnight hikers; parking fees do not count as registration.
    Start
    Southern terminus in Oconee State Park; major trailheads listed by the Conference: Table Rock State Park, US 178, SC 130, SC 107, Oconee State Park. Registration kiosks at Table Rock SP, Oconee SP and Frozen Creek at Gorges State Park. Forest Service: primitive camping allowed, campsites more than 50 feet from streams and trails and more than 0.25 miles from roads.

  • Palmetto Trail (Overall)

    Statewide, mountains to the coast source

    Length
    Palmetto Trails site: 'will span 500-miles in total length when complete'; passages range from 1.1 to 47 miles. Home page reports 416 miles completed. 33 trails shown in its trail list. Number of passages not stated.
    Difficulty
    Varies by passage
    Fees
    Varies by passage
    Dogs
    Varies by passage (see individual passages)
    Start
    Passage-specific

  • Palmetto Trail: Blue Ridge Electric Co-Op Passage (Through Jocassee Gorges)

    Upstate, Pickens County area (Table Rock State Park to SC Hwy 178) source

    Length
    12.6 miles
    Difficulty
    Moderate
    Fees
    'Depends': Table Rock State Park trailhead has an admission fee; the SC Hwy 178 trailhead has no fee.
    Dogs
    Allowed, leashed at all times
    Start
    Pinnacle Pavilion ('The Barn') in Table Rock State Park, through the Wesleyan Camp into the Jocassee Gorges; other trailhead along SC Hwy 178

  • Palmetto Trail: Peak to Prosperity Passage

    Midlands (Newberry County area; Alston, Hope Station, Pomaria, Kibler's Bridge) source

    Length
    10.7 miles
    Difficulty
    Easy
    Fees
    No
    Dogs
    Yes, 'Dogs must be leashed at all times.'
    Start
    Access points: Alston, Hope Station, Pomaria and Kibler's Bridge trailheads. Alerts as published: section next to the river trestle closed for maintenance starting October 26th (no year given); trail west of Kibler's Bridge trailhead closed until further notice.

  • Palmetto Trail: Lake Marion Passage

    Santee / Lake Marion source

    Length
    34.5 miles
    Difficulty
    Moderate
    Fees
    Fees: Yes
    Dogs
    Pets field says No but trail alerts say 'Dogs must be leashed at all times'; page does not reconcile.
    Start
    Along the north side of Lake Marion between Santee, SC and Mill Creek County Park. Camping allowed. On hunting grounds; no night biking; no parking in Santee Wildlife Refuge; mile 22-24 rerouted via Old River Rd to Pack's Landing Rd.

  • Palmetto Trail: Swamp Fox Passage

    Lowcountry / Francis Marion National Forest source

    Length
    47.6 miles
    Difficulty
    Easy
    Fees
    No
    Dogs
    Pets field says Yes; a trail alert says 'No dogs' in the context of the Santee Wildlife Refuge.
    Start
    Trailhead listed as Awendaw; ends on the shore of Lake Moultrie. Primitive camping between mile markers 9 and 10, near 18, 25 and 30, and at the Lake Moultrie terminus; Cane Gully campsite closed until further notice. Only one water source (Ranger Station off Steed Creek Road).

  • Table Rock Trail (Table Rock State Park)

    Upstate, Pickens source

    Length
    3.6 miles one way
    Difficulty
    Very Strenuous
    Fees
    $6 adults; $3.75 SC seniors; $3.50 children 6-15; 5 and under free
    Dogs
    Pets must stay leashed in the park, including hiking trails
    Start
    Register at the Concessions Area; follow arrows through parking lots to the temporary trail access point (Nature Center and trailhead restrooms closed during construction). Other park trails: Lakeside 1.9-mile loop Easy; Carrick Creek 2-mile loop Moderate; Pinnacle Mountain 4.2 miles one way Very Strenuous; Ridge 1.9 miles Moderate to Strenuous; Stool Mountain 2.7 miles one way Strenuous to Very Strenuous.

  • Jones Gap State Park Trails (Rainbow Falls Trail, Jones Gap Trail)

    Upstate, Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area source

    Length
    Park: 60+ miles of trails; Rainbow Falls hike 2.2 miles with a 1,200-foot climb to the base of the falls. Jones Gap Trail length not listed on the park page.
    Difficulty
    'all trails, regardless of difficulty rating, are considered advanced hiking trails'
    Fees
    $6 adults; $3.75 SC seniors; $3.50 children 6-15; 5 and under free
    Dogs
    Leash no longer than six feet
    Start
    303 Jones Gap Rd, Marietta; hikers fill out a registration card at the trailhead; trails close one hour before sunset; weekend/holiday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. parking reservation for guaranteed entry

  • Hidden Falls Trail and Other Oconee State Park Trails

    Upstate, Oconee County source

    Length
    Hidden Falls 4.6 miles out and back; Foothills Access Trail 1.2 miles; Lake Trail 1.2-mile loop; Wormy Chestnut 0.5-mile loop; Oconee Trail 2.3 miles; Tamassee Knob listed 2.0 miles (text says 2.1-mile out and back); Old Waterwheel 1.2-mile loop
    Difficulty
    Hidden Falls moderate; Foothills Access moderate to strenuous; Lake Trail easy; Wormy Chestnut easy; Oconee moderate; Tamassee Knob strenuous; Old Waterwheel moderate
    Fees
    $5 adults; $3.25 SC seniors; $3 children 6-15; 5 and under free
    Dogs
    Leash no longer than six feet; page does not address dogs on specific trails
    Start
    624 State Park Rd, Mountain Rest, SC 29664

  • Congaree National Park Boardwalk

    Midlands, Congaree National Park source

    Length
    'The 2.6 mile boardwalk is an excellent introduction to the park.'
    Difficulty
    Page describes the level surface as accessible
    Fees
    'There is no fee to enter the park.'
    Dogs
    Pets allowed on all trails including the boardwalk, leash 6 feet maximum, never left alone; parts of the boardwalk are elevated and confined.

  • Hunting Island State Park Trails

    Lowcountry, Beaufort County area source

    Length
    Diamondback Rattlesnake 1.9 mi; Lagoon 1.4 mi; Magnolia Forest 1.2 mi; Maritime Forest 2.0 mi; Marsh Boardwalk Crossover 0.3 mi; Marsh Boardwalk 0.25 mi; Nature Center Scenic 0.7 mi; Palmetto Pass 0.2 mi; Pine Pass 0.2 mi
    Difficulty
    Diamondback Rattlesnake Moderately Strenuous; the others Easy
    Fees
    Park admission $8 adults; $5 SC seniors; $4 children 6-15; 5 and under free
    Dogs
    Not allowed in the cabin area, on the pier, in the lighthouse complex, or on the tip of North Beach past posted markers; elsewhere leash no longer than six feet.
    Start
    Bridge to Little Hunting Island/Boneyard Beach temporarily closed due to hazardous high tides as of the page read 2026-10-26.

  • Swamp Rabbit Trail

    Upstate, Greenville County (Fountain Inn, Greenville, Travelers Rest) source

    Length
    Greenville County Parks, Recreation & Tourism: '32 mile and growing network'
    Dogs
    Page says to keep dogs on a short leash and clean up after them
    Start
    Access points and parking shown on the county's interactive map; page names sections including Greenville Tech, Conestee Nature Preserve, Simpsonville and Mauldin.

  • Spanish Moss Trail

    Lowcountry, Beaufort County (Beaufort, Port Royal) source

    Length
    Total length not stated on the pages read. Kids in Parks TRACK Trail is a 1.8-mile out-and-back section from the Depot Trailhead. New Downtown Connection runs down Depot Road from the Depot Trailhead to Ribaut Road.
    Start
    Depot Trailhead, 2751 Depot Road, Beaufort, SC. Trail site lists dawn to dusk.

  • Kings Mountain National Military Park Trails

    Upstate/York County area, Blacksburg source

    Length
    Battlefield Trail 1.5 mi (paved); Browns Mountain Trail 5 mi total (2.5 one way); Ridgeline/Clarks Creek/Lake Crawford/Connector 6 mi total; National Recreation/Park Loop 16 mi; Equestrian/Poplar Trail 14 mi
    Difficulty
    Battlefield Trail moderate to strenuous; loop strenuous; others moderate to strenuous
    Start
    Park mailing address 2625 Park Road, Blacksburg, SC 29702

Hunting Seasons and Hikers

  • SCDNR Wildlife Management Area regulations (50-11-365): 'All users except hunters for dove, ducks, geese, and other migratory birds including crows' must wear solid international orange during any deer season. source
  • Same page: entry onto WMA land is 'wholly and completely at the risk of the individual'; during special designated hunts a WMA may be closed to other public access. source

What We Could Not Confirm

Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.

  • Falls Park on the Reedy (Greenville): hours, fees, parking and dog rules not found on any official page (greenvillesc.gov pages had no usable text; visitgreenvillesc.com listing gave only visitor-center hours). The 7 a.m.-9 p.m. figure and free 2-hour street parking appeared only in unofficial summary of third-party sites and were not used.
  • Twin Falls (Pickens County / Eastatoe), Falls Creek Falls, Big Bradley Falls, Poinsett Bridge, Long Creek Falls, Wildcat Branch trail beyond Visit Greenville: no read official page; left out.
  • Waterfall county names were included only where a page states them (Wildcat Wayside, Reedy River Falls, Issaqueena, Chau Ram); the rest are null.
  • Coordinates: only Whitewater Falls (Forest Service page) prints coordinates; SC State Parks pages give street addresses only.
  • Jones Gap Trail length not printed on the park page; Jones Gap trails sub-page did not load for us. Caesars Head trails page lists no per-trail lengths. Table Rock page lists trail lengths on /table-rock/trails only.
  • Lake Keowee and Lake Murray paddling access: DNR Keowee regulations page covers fishing rules only; no official access list read.
  • Hunting Island lagoon kayaking: page says only that paddling is available and fishing in the lagoon is allowed; no lagoon paddling rules.
  • Spanish Moss Trail total length and dog rules: not on pages read (Beaufort County news release and spanishmosstrail.com). unofficial summary quoted about 10 built miles / 16 planned, from a county plan not read.
  • Swamp Rabbit Trail: county page says 32 miles; City of Greenville page returned no length. Other sources quoted 25-28 miles; not used.
  • Cowpens National Battlefield trails: NPS hiking URL did not load for us; left out.
  • Free fishing days: no statement found on dnr.sc.gov licensing, general license or purchase pages.
  • Hunting note: the WMA regulation page does not say whether it applies to hikers on all WMA lands, only to 'all users' during deer season on WMA land; check the specific WMA page.
  • Sea turtle penalty amounts: the SCDNR page lists none; the May 1-Oct 31 exact dates and $25,000 penalty appeared only in an unofficial summary and were not used.
  • Fall color: no official page states a peak window for the Upstate specifically; the only timing statements are statewide (mid-October to early November) and 'mountains in mid to late October'.
  • Conflicts left visible: Edisto trail length (23 / 56 / 62 miles by source and portion), Raven Cliff Falls hike length (2 mi one way / 4 mi / 4.4 mi / 6.6 mi), Rainbow Falls (2.2 vs 2.3 miles one way vs 5 mi round trip), Whitewater Falls parking fee ($3 Forest Service vs $2 Foothills Trail Conference), Devils Fork boat ramps (three vs four).
  • Palmetto Trail: number of passages not stated; home page says 416 miles completed while the about page gives no completed mileage; palmettotrail.org/trails list did not load.

Sources

  1. Foothills Trail
  2. Palmetto Trail (Overall)
  3. Palmetto Trail: Blue Ridge Electric Co-op Passage (through Jocassee Gorges)
  4. Palmetto Trail: Peak to Prosperity Passage
  5. Palmetto Trail: Lake Marion Passage
  6. Palmetto Trail: Swamp Fox Passage
  7. Table Rock Trail (Table Rock State Park)
  8. Jones Gap State Park trails (Rainbow Falls Trail, Jones Gap Trail)
  9. Hidden Falls Trail and other Oconee State Park trails
  10. Congaree National Park Boardwalk
  11. Hunting Island State Park trails
  12. Swamp Rabbit Trail
  13. Spanish Moss Trail
  14. Kings Mountain National Military Park trails

Read on October 26, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “Hiking Trails in South Carolina”, itssouthcarolina.com/things-to-do/outdoors-and-hiking/hiking-trails-in-south-carolina/ (updated ). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.