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 its silly sound rolls off your tongue, it’s almost sure 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?
The word sassafras refers to a tree native to the eastern half of North America that can be found as far north as Ontario, Canada and as far south as central Florida. There are several sassafras varieties, including the traditional sassafras, white sassafras, red sassafras, and silky sassafras.
Native Americans used sassafras as both a medicinal cure and a cooking spice. Later, Anglo settlers would use them to build forts and other structures. In more recent history, the oil has been used to flavor beverages like tea, sarsaparilla, and root beer.
Sassafras Mountain ultimately got its name because the creeks near base of the mountain allowed for an abundant growth of sassafras trees along the mountain’s lower slopes. And so it’s the only high point in the U.S. named after a type of tree.
Trip Summary
Our quest to summit Sassafras Mountain took two tries. We initially planned to stay in nearby Clemson, SC back in early November 2018. But, then a major cold front moved in, bringing freezing temperatures with it.
Since we were traveling full-time and living out of our RV, 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 in April 2019 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. So, we had no excuses keeping us away.
Sassafras Mountain is one of those peaks you can drive up to, but we opted to hike instead. After some online research on Summitpost and AllTrails, we discovered the Foothills Trail would provide us with an ideal 5.4 mile roundtrip hike from the south.
Getting to our trailhead was super easy. There are 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 is windy and steep, and right after a hairpin turn, we saw the trail kiosk for Chimneytop Gap. Just beyond that, there 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 noticed tons of 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 out onto some rocks where we could see for miles and miles.
The only downside to our trip was the observation deck. It had clearly been built recently and looked terrific, but 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…
Lucky for us, 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 down to the car was much easier than the trip up, as it was all downhill back to the trailhead. All in all, it was a beautiful day for a hike and Sassafras Mountain was a great addition to our summit bucket list.
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 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 up to four states from the summit on clear days – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee & Georgia.
Looking for a longer trek? The Foothills Trail extends in both directions from Sassafras Mountain. If you want a longer climb up, continue going north on Hwy 178 instead of turning right onto F. Van Clayton Hwy. After about a 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)
