4 days & 40+ miles mainly on the Chattooga River trail. Logistic info at the bottom in case you are considering this trail.
Day 1 - I met up with Twistytee & El Gordo from the forum at Sloan Bridge Picnic area. My dog Lacey the beagle was excited to get started after we had lunch on the picnic table.
We hit the Fork Mountain trail and found it in pretty good shape. There were some tree trunks to go up and over (or under if you are Lacey) but for the most part the trail was in good shape. On the other hand, I wasn't in good shape - too much time off from the trails had me sucking wind. It was roughly 6.5 miles over to the Chattooga River, with a few good climbs in there. You pass by a couple creeks, so you could refill the water bottles along the way.
Once we hit the Chattooga, you are in the 3 state corner - NC, GA & SC all meet up. Kind of like the 4-corners out west, but slightly less cool. Ellicott Rock, which is named after the surveyor Andrew Ellicott, is somewhere off trail and marks where the states meet up. Only problem is he was off by so there's another nearby boulder called Commisioners Rock which marks the border. k We offered to belay El Gordo down to the riverside but I don't think he was too keen on the idea. Or maybe he was out of earshot when we suggested the ideas. Either way, we hiked by the boulders & left them for another day.
The Chattooga Trail & river are in a narrower gorge this far upriver, and the trail scrambles up and down along the rocks. We made our way (slowly) along the trail until we got to the East Fork Chattooga River outlet. This area held the Burrell's Ford hang in the past, and I can see why. There were a number of campsites. The main one was already taken by a couple families but we found a great one overlooking the river.
We setup our hammocks, filtered some water from the nearby river, and watched a fly fisherman check the river for a good spot. The 3 of us hammock hangers had never met except here on the forum, so we checked out each others gear and got to know each other better. It was a good group & we all got along well. We were in our hammocks by hiker midnight, and things were pretty quiet that night except when a fellow camper came through with their dog - Lacey decided to stand on my chest in the hammock and give them a good growl.
Day 2 started with us heading downriver to Burrells Ford. We got to the road, looked at the map, and still somehow got a bit lost. Twistytee & El Gordo were heading back to Sloan Bridge on the Foothills trail, and somehow missed the junction. Fortunately it wasn't too long before we realized it. I said my goodbyes to them, and continued on thru the camp. I had intended to hit King Creek falls, but had bypassed that when we turned around. I had hiked this portion of the trail before so I knew what to expect. I stopped at a bend in the river that has a sandy beach and setup the hammock for an extended lunch break. A couple of other backpackers stopped by & eventually we all got in the river for a swim. The temps had been steadily rising this trip so it felt great to cool off.
For those that haven't done much of the Chattooga River trail before, it offers beautiful campsites and hiking near the river. There are a number of incredible waterfalls to see along the way. It also spends probably half its time (just a wild guess) climbing up ridges and through the forest. I find there's plenty of opportunities to camp and eat lunch by the river, but don't be suprised by the amount of time the trail spends climbing far above or away or from the trail.
I hit the junction where the Foothills trail peels off from the Chattooga River trail near Lick Log falls & Pig Pen Falls. I started looking for campsites from this area and found what I called Last Chance camp at along Ira Branch creek. I had planned on camping along the main Chattooga River, but one of my prior waypoints kind of led me astray and the next thing I knew I was happy for any campsite. If you haven't camped on the Chattooga, this area has some great campsites and worth a look. You can also park at neary Nichols Ford for a short hike in.
Day 3 had me waking up a bit later than intended as I was tired from trail and the heat. Of course, this was kinda dumb as I didn't take advantage of the cool morning air. We packed up quickly & got on the trail 30 min after getting up and it wasn't long before we hit the Russell Bridge parking area. Only a couple cars there this day.
I crossed the bridge and hit the trailhead for the Bartram trail, which parallels the Chattooga River trail for some awhile. This is such a lovely stretch of trail. Probably better suited for cooler months - the temp got to 88 this day - but still a nice hike. We did come across one copperhead asleep on the trail. When the trail narrows, I typically have Lacey walk behind me so I can keep an eye out for snakes - and it was at just such a time I saw this one.
We stopped at Earls Ford for a late lunch & another hang in the hammock to cool off a bit. Then it was on to our campsite near Dicks Creek Falls. This waterfall dumps out into the Chattooga and is quite beautiful. After we checked out the waterfall, we setup camp and got to bed early, planning for an earlier start the next day. Not long after we layed down, Lacey woke out of a deep sleep and started barking. She found a possum near a tree and had to make sure it new this was her territory. She was quite proud of herself.
Day 4 started at 5:30 and we were on the trail by 6:00. This section of the trail was new to me & I was looking forward to it. The trail again spends some time by the river - there were some beautiful campsites - but spent more time meandering through the nearby forest. Fortunately there were plenty of water sources, which was good considering it hit 90 by the time we finished up. As with the other days, we stopped for a long break along the river and watched some ducks float by. It was very peaceful. Over the last 2.5 days (since Lick Log), Lacey and I had the trail to ourselves.
We hit US-76 and the crossed the bridge that led back to our car. It was a great trip, and I'm thankful to Twistytee for the invitation and El Gordo for joining us.
LOGISTICS
Caltopo map
https://caltopo.com/m/L370
Shuttles:
You can shuttle your own car, or get a shuttle ride from the same folks that run shuttles for the Foothills trail. You can break these sections down into shorter mileages, or increase them by starting further east along the Foothills trail.
Campsites:
Here are the areas I targeted:
Night 1 - from East Fork Chattooga River outlet to Burrells Ford
Night 2 - from Licklog area down to Ira Branch creek
Night 3 - from upriver of Dicks Creek Falls (the trail follows the river here before climbing up to Dicks Creek area) to Dicks Creek falls
There are other campsites along the river... these areas just have a decent amount.
Parking / trails to Ellicott Rock:
There are 4 different areas one could park.. in order of closest to Ellicott Rock...
- SR-1100 (3 miles) - I have not parked here so don't know much about it.. but the trail from here to Ellicott is ~3.0 miles. Per the internet road is paved & gravel.
- Burrells Ford (3.5 miles) - this would mean hiking upriver then following the same trail back downstream. Good amount of parking spaces. Easier car shuttle.
- Sloan Bridge Picnic area (6.7 miles) - the hike via Fork Mountain has the most elevation gain and mileage. There is a good amount of parking spaces and its less driving than SR-1100 to shuttle cars
- Whitewater Falls or somewhere else along the FHT. The FHT goes by Sloan Bridge Picnic area, so you could start anywhere to the east on the FHT to add as many miles as you want
Water sources:
Plenty of places to fill up the water bottles, just don't forget to do it before starting up a ridge
Waterfalls:
There are some great waterfalls on this hike. You walk right by Pig Pen & Lick Log. The rest are just off trail and some are not marked.
Spoonauger falls (I haven't been to this one)
King Creek falls
Big Bend falls
Pig Pen & Lick Log falls
Dicks Creek falls
Cell service
Not suprisingly but its quite limited. I was able to get a message off to the family each day but only from the ridges and then rarely
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