Order of Visit: High Point #9
Date Visited: April 10, 2019
Route Taken: Foothills Trail from Chimneytop Gap Trailhead – 5.4 miles roundtrip
Type of Terrain: Moderate trail through light forests. The trail is well-marked and maintained, but it climbs most of the way to the summit and can be steep in several sections.
Elevation: 3,553 feet
Ancestral Lands: Cherokee, Yuchi
What’s in name?
Sassafras Mountain has one of the most enjoyable names to say. When the silly sound rolls off your tongue, it’s almost certain to bring a smile to your face. But what exactly is sassafras? And why was this small mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains named after it?
Sassafras (sassafras albidum) is a tree native to the eastern half of North America. It can be found as far north as Ontario, Canada, and as far south as central Florida. Sassafras Mountain originally got its name because the creeks near the mountain’s base allow for the abundant growth of sassafras trees along its lower slopes. This arboreal name makes South Carolina the only state high point named after a tree.
Native Americans used elements of the sassafras tree for spices and medicinal purposes. Sassafras bark was used to flavor hot teas and was a traditional remedy for treating head colds, fevers, arthritis, and as a digestive aid. Meanwhile, the sassafras leaves could be used to thicken soups or turned into a poultice to treat bee stings, burns, and cuts.
European settlers later used the sassafras wood to make furniture, flooring, cabinets, barrels, fence posts, and boats. Early Americans also used sassafras oil to flavor their teas, scented soaps, and candles. The tree’s bark contains an aromatic oil called safrole, which imparts a complex fragrance of star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, and citrus.
By the late 19th century, the sassafras root took Americans by storm in a new product. A Philadelphia-based pharmacist named Charles Hires added the distinctive sassafras root bark to a beverage to create his original “root beer” recipe, which he marketed as an alternative to alcohol.
The ideal habitat for sassafras trees is in well-drained sandy loam, like the upstate region near South Carolina’s high point. In 2024, the state’s largest sassafras tree was measured in Greenville County, measuring at an astounding 119 feet tall with a circumference of 60 inches!
Trip Summary
Our quest to summit Sassafras Mountain took two tries. Not because it was a particularly difficult high point to visit. But rather due to circumstance (and weather) beyond our control.
In early November 2018, we initially planned to stay in nearby Clemson, SC. However, a major cold front moved in, bringing freezing temperatures with it. Since we were traveling full-time and living out of our RV then, we weren’t game for braving anything quite that cold in early fall. Especially, since Charleston was just a few short hours away with its balmy weather and beaches calling our name.
Our second attempt at Mt. Sassafras came the following April, and it was far more successful. We had lovely spring weather in the 70s and a nice campsite booked at Table Rock State Park, a mere 16 miles away from the high point. So, we had no excuses keeping us away in 2019.
Sassafras Mountain is one of the state high points where visitors can drive the entire way up to the summit, but we opted to hike up instead. After a bit of online research on Summitpost and AllTrails, we discovered that the Foothills Trail would provide us with an ideal 5.4 mile roundtrip hike from the south.
Getting to our trailhead was simple too. There were signs to Sassafras Mountain at the intersection of Hwy 11 and Hwy 178, and again at our turn-off on F. Van Clayton Memorial Highway near the small town of Rocky Bottom.
The paved road heading up to the summit was windy and steep, but we saw the trail kiosk for Chimneytop Gap directly after a hairpin turn. Just beyond that was a pull-out for a small forest road followed by a parking area about 50 yards farther. This was our trailhead.
After parking, we set off on the trail toward the summit on foot. It was a beautiful, warm day and we worked up a bit of a sweat on our hike. The trail was beautifully maintained, with white blazes marking the way – and we spotted tons of wild irises pushing in bloom on the side of the trail.
As we neared the summit, we had to cross the roadway once again and followed the hiker signs. The last stretch took us up some stairs and finally onto some rocks where we could see for miles and miles.
The observation deck was the only downside to our trip to the top of South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources began building this 11-foot-tall deck in 2017. While it was now nearing completion and looked terrific, it was still fenced off to visitors. So we didn’t get to stand atop it and see even further across the horizon. But we did get plenty of obscured photos with those “No Trespassing Signs” in the background.
Luckily, the rock containing the plaque at the summit was still outside the construction zone. And we managed to get a few photos – with all that classy chainlink fencing as a backdrop.
The hike back to the car was much easier than the trip up, as it was all downhill back to the trailhead. Overall, it was a beautiful day for a hike, and Sassafras Mountain was a great addition to our summit bucket list. However, I’m still not 100% sure if we ever saw any sassafras trees.
Details
When to Visit: Year-round. However, the Carolinas are notorious for ice storms in the spring, leaving some of the trails in the upstate icy.
Getting There: Sassafras Mountain is located right on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina – approximately 20 miles south of Brevard, NC.
Entrance Fees/Permits: None.
Parking: There’s parking near the summit, as well as the various trailheads along the Foothills Trail. When we visited, the observation deck was still under construction so parking was still a bit limited.
Accessibility: Good for all ages (if you drive-up); whereas hiking up will require a fair bit of stamina.
Bonus: The north side of the mountain was once owned by former U.S. Congressman, Charles H. Taylor (NC). In 2010, the Conservation Fund, an environmental non-profit, purchased 8,000 acres of land from Taylor. The fund then donated the 4.8 acres near the summit to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and conveyed another 6,730 acres to the North Carolina Forest Service.
Thanks to Sassafras Mountain’s position on the border, you can see three states from the summit on clear days – North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Looking for a longer trek? The Foothills Trail extends in both directions from Sassafras Mountain. If you want a longer climb up, continue north on Hwy 178 instead of turning right onto F. Van Clayton Hwy. After about one mile, you’ll find parking and the Laurel Valley trailhead adjacent to the bridge. The distance from this trailhead to the summit is a challenging 4.5 miles uphill (i.e., 9 miles roundtrip).
Or you can even hike on the trail from the summit heading east as far as you want. The Foothills Trail is a 80-mile National Recreation Trail that runs through South Carolina’s upstate and parts of Western North Carolina (WNC).
Resources:
- Sassafras Mountain (Pickens County)
- Overview of Sassafras Mountain (Summit Post)
- Sassafras Mountain Observation Deck (SC Dept. Natural Resources)
- Foothills Trail (Foothills Trail National Conservancy)
