A historic nook of the Appalachian Mountains in South Carolina is a hidden gem for out of doors adventures.
It was getting darkish once I constructed my tent at Oconee State Park. My headlamp beam swung across the walk-in website, illuminating bushes that forged lengthy shadows throughout the quiet woods. Whereas the campground’s drive-up websites have been half full, this remoted tent space appeared utterly empty. Kinda creepy, I believed, as I hustled to and from my truck, organising.
It was a Tuesday evening in early October, and this was uncharted territory for me—the place the southeastern nook of the Appalachians overlaps with the northwestern nook of South Carolina. I’d dropped by the world years earlier than to kayak the Chattanooga, however in any other case I didn’t know what to anticipate.
This might be my first cease on a three-week street journey stuffed with mountain biking, gravel biking, and whitewater kayaking. Regardless of a variety of acquainted locations falling alongside the route, I made a decision to take an opportunity on someplace new. Learning the map, I noticed an attractive identify I vaguely acknowledged: Oconee.
Final 12 months, my buddy Boberts had loved tenting on the state park and driving a partly accomplished mountain bike park close by. Plus, I recalled one thing about naturalist William Bartram exploring the area throughout the late 1700s, when the Cherokee roamed these mountains. With restricted time to plan, a fast on-line search confirmed that the campground related on to a number of bike trails.
Then I known as up Boberts for beta. After some path speak, I requested if his go to included any of the historic websites I used to be researching.
“Um no,” he mentioned. “Largely as a result of I don’t care about historic websites.”
“Acquired it.” I laughed, realizing that’s probably not true. “Guess I’ll simply go see what’s there.”
Stumphouse Mountain: A Bike Park and an Unfinished Tunnel
The subsequent morning, I equipped for a full day on the bike. A backpack and two small bikepacking luggage held restore package, first help, digicam, meals, and water. Then I rode circles across the campground, looking for the trailhead. At one level, a upkeep man led the way in which in a dashing golf cart to the park’s Oconee Path. After circling a nice pond, I ended up proper again at my campsite. A minimum of now I used to be oriented.
I discovered my method to the Ross Mountain Passage, a five-mile part of the Palmetto Path, and turned south. This was my fourth part journey on this partially accomplished long-distance mountaineering and biking route, which runs for tons of of miles throughout South Carolina from the coast to the mountains. Singletrack led to a gravel street which led to the paved Ross Mountain Street and one very aggressive pit bull-lab combine. The snarling canine blocked my manner, so I snapped the brakes and tried to make pals. “Do you want sticks?” I requested innocently, gently plucking one from the shoulder.
The reply to my toss was an impulsive YES. However because the stick landed in yellow grass, the chasing canine halted and altered his reply to a livid IT’S COMPLICATED. The canine charged after me, however I used to be already gone.
Reaching an intersection a couple of miles later, I spotted I’d missed the passage cut-off, and it was now behind the aggressive canine. Fortunately, I solely needed to backtrack a half-mile to a brand-new gravel parking zone, with all 40 areas empty on this Wednesday morning. By way of gaps within the bushes, I may see the graceful dust and snaking berms of a freshly groomed path.
Stumphouse Mountain Bike Park didn’t disappoint. I began on the intermediate Boundary Path, the place I met a pleasant native rider who defined the present path system was 10 miles, and one other 10 was nearly full. The system is a mixture of trails, from newbie to superior, from stream to technical, and I loved bombing down the superior Move Path, which had some nice drops and jumps.
Popping out close to the southern fringe of the park, I detoured to the historic Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel. Just like the path system, the tunnel is a part of Stumphouse Park, which is maintained by the close by metropolis of Walhalla. Tunnel development started in 1856, with the objective of reducing a mile by means of the mountain for a railroad linking the port of Charleston with Knoxville. After three years, work had progressed solely 1 / 4 mile into the bedrock at a price of $1 million. Because the Civil Battle loomed, the undertaking was deserted. At present, guests can discover the dead-end shaft on foot. I regretted not carrying a lock, given bikes aren’t allowed. I leaned mine towards a bench, and hoped for one of the best as I walked inside. A pair carrying headlamps was returning, shining eerie beams of sunshine by means of the darkness.
Afternoon was about biking the remainder of the park. I rode the 1.5-mile Stumphouse Passage, my fifth part on the Palmetto, to the decrease loop on Boundary. This led to 2 parallel downhill trails conceived as a twin slalom course. As I descended the completed path, I glimpsed staff and backhoe operators from Black Diamond Designs constructing the second path. My remaining lap took me previous the shimmering Walhalla Reservoir. The foliage was starting to show, with pockets of yellow, orange, and pink. A combo of Lake Loop and Entry Loop was mellow enjoyable, and I encountered simply the second biker I noticed all day. An important park, and I look ahead to returning when all 20 miles are full.
Walhalla, S.C.: A Growing Mountain City
My go to was a fast one with simply two nights to discover the mountain city of Walhalla. The primary evening I dropped by Trailhead Tavern, a well-liked bar and grill simply off the principle drag. Over a beer and burger on the quiet bar, I chatted with the workers concerning the area.
They confirmed one thing about Oconee I used to be starting to suspect. There’s an early-fall off-season right here, very similar to different components of the mountains. It’s the interval in late September and early October when leaves start to alter however the bushes stay principally inexperienced. A scenic time after Labor Day when households have returned to their schoolyear routine. School children are again in school. And leaf-peeping street vacationers are in a holding sample, ready for the colours to peak. That is one in all my favourite occasions for adventures.
On my second evening, I ended by the Storage Faucet Room. There have been solely 5 of us, together with the pleasant proprietor, and everybody beneficial a formidable bourbon barrel-aged stout. Over pizza, I realized that two microbreweries will open in Walhalla within the close to future. Finally, it was simply the proprietor, his lifelong buddy, and me speaking concerning the potential of the world.
“Let’s go to Final Probability,” prompt the buddy.
“You wanna go along with us to a biker bar?” requested the proprietor. “Everybody on the town heads up there. You may hear what’s occurring from the horse’s mouth.”
We every hopped into our pick-ups and drove up the mountain to the native dive. Certain sufficient, I used to be quickly launched to a dozen pleasant residents desirous to share the thin on their up-and-coming city. The mountain bike park was being constructed to usher in adventure-travelers and assist create companies and jobs for youthful townsfolk. The subsequent step was determining extra lodgings for guests past Airbnb leases and the growing older state park, the place I stayed in a campground constructed throughout the Nice Despair.
“What about some sort of glamping resort?” I requested. “Canvas tents, yurts, huts, camper hookups?”
At one time, somebody defined, there had been speak across the quaint downtown about some type of towering lodge with boutiques on the primary ground. The phrase boutiques made us all shudder.
“By the point you come again it is perhaps utterly completely different,” mused one other fella. “You might simply need to transfer right here.”
“I do already,” I mentioned, and all of us laughed and clinked bottles.
An Journey Journey to Oconee Station
On my final day, I rode north on Ross Mountain Passage. Down in a creek gulch, I walked a aspect path to an outdated waterwheel. Constructed by the CCC within the Nineteen Thirties, it produced electrical energy throughout the development of the state park. Quickly I continued driving on the three.7-mile Oconee Passage, which turned my sixth part accomplished on the Palmetto Path.
Earlier within the go to, I’d stopped by the customer middle, the place one authoritative staffer had lectured that bikes usually are not allowed on the path from the state park to Oconee Station. That’s emphatically incorrect, however the staffer refused to debate the matter. So I returned when she wasn’t there and spoke with a youthful staffer who agreed they’re allowed. Such misinformation is frequent in lots of up-and-coming locations, the place new customers like mountain bikers start exploring in ways in which have been beforehand assumed to be unattainable or forbidden. Whereas there are a couple of hike-only trails clearly marked across the space, the three Palmetto passages I rode on my go to are every open to bikes.
It turned out to be an amazing journey, taking me over Oconee Mountain on roughly the identical forested path that William Bartram adopted in 1775. Close to the crest I spoke with a retired couple, two of solely 4 hikers I noticed that day. On the backside, I walked the quick creek-side path to Station Cove Falls. Then I backtracked out to the street to succeed in my vacation spot.
Oconee Station State Historic Web site is a small park with a brief nature path and two historic buildings. One is a stone blockhouse in-built 1792, which served as a navy outpost for seven years. The bigger brick constructing was a personal dwelling and buying and selling put up constructed within the early 1800s. In fact, neither of those buildings was right here when Bartram got here by means of. As an alternative, he handed the ruins of the Cherokee decrease city of Oconee, which was deserted throughout the 1750s.
Contained in the William Richards Home, I met an enthusiastic younger ranger who had just lately develop into the location supervisor. She described massive plans for the park, together with increasing the path system. Then she shared one thing extraordinary.
“We just lately acquired the location of Oconee city,” she defined. “We’re working with the tribe to show it into an archeological park.”
The long-term plan, within the five- to 10-year vary, consists of interpretive trails main from the customer middle to the adjoining townsite. An important piece of stories, and but another excuse to keep watch over this growing space.
After I met up with Boberts the next weekend, I shared the photographs and a optimistic journey report. Not simply concerning the new bike trails however the historic websites, as properly.
“That every one seems to be superior,” he mentioned. “I would like to return there.”
Cowl picture: A mountain biker rides on the fast-growing community of trails in and round South Carolina’s Oconee State Park. All photographs by the writer.
