create account login
|
Welcome to budget-travels-tips.com create account login |
|
Ellicott Rock and Chattooga
A great weekend hike. An easy to moderate hike which, for the most part, follows the Chattooga River on the SC side. This is considered the wilderness and it was very enjoyable since we saw only two couples the entire 3 days of hiking. My 13 year old son and his friend were novice hikers and they enjoyed this hike very much. There are enough waterfalls and wading pools to keep their interest. The elevation of the hike was also good. We started on a late afternoon in NC by getting dropped off by a local resident and continued on a moderate trail following a ridge line and then steeply (but safely) zigzagging down to where the Chattooga entered SC. At this point you are basically at the NC-SC-GA border which is neat, and if you keep a good eye out near the waterline, you\'ll find Ellicott Rock, named after the surveyor who was commissioned to survey the NC-GA state border in the early 1800s. He supposedly chiseled into the rock the NC/SC boundary line. Once you reach the river and head downstream, various primitive campsites await you. The pristine waters of the Chattooga offer a great picturesque background for a campsite. Since it was getting dark we set up at a campsite which someone had built a fire site with stone benches. We continued the next morning where, about a mile from the state line, the East Fork of the Chattooga combines to start making the stream look more like a river. A hearty 3 mile hike up the East Fork to the Fish Hatchery is a nice detour, but for novice hikers, it would probably not be worth the climb. Continuing downstream towards Burrell's Ford Campground, you have a short and memorable side trek to Spoonauger Falls. Burrell's Ford also has a side trail to King Falls. Both these falls are safe and approachable, allowing a person to stand right next to them. Camping at Burrell's ford was nice since it is a walk in site and but a restroom and water pump were available. Continuing past the campground the hike is mostly down hill with a few inclines, but the river is always by your side. When we approached a junction in the trail, we grounded our gear and continued on the trail for about a mile to Big Bend Falls, the largest falls on the Chattooga. You need to be careful getting down close the falls but it is worth the trip. Once back to the trail junction we headed up toward Big Ben Road. We thought the trail would be steep since we had been basically going down hill for the past 2 days and we were parked up on the ridgeline near Cherry Hill Campground off Highway 107. Even with two tired boys, the hike up from the river was relatively nice- steep in some places, but not bad. There is a parking lot at the end of Big Ben Road for people walking down to the falls, but I would not suggest leaving a pick-up vehicle there due to the isolated area and possible break-ins. Parking outside Cherry Hill Campground was not bad for just a few days. With two novice boys, carrying 20-30 pounds each, we moderately walked this 15 miles in 2 1/2 days and we were not exhausted afterwards. We carried our own water which added to the weight, so I would recommend a filtering device and just use the Chattooga since you are right next to it 95% of the time.
Directions to Hike
Contact Information
 submit a new trail review
About Our ReviewsMany people ask us to recommend a place to go hiking. Instead of us deciding what places are best, we let the backpacking community help out. The reviews on budget-travels-tips.com have been submitted by our viewers. Some reviews are positive and some are negative. If you don't agree with a review, feel free to submit your own trail review.
|
SearchReady to Buy Gear?Sponsored Links
Great Outdoor Sites |
||||||||
