At the beginning of this backpacking season my buddy Joey and I headed down to South Mountains State Park for a 3-day trip. South Mountains is North Carolina’s largest State Park and has a bounty of enjoyment for backpackers - ridgeline views, a massive waterfall, luxury campsites and an intersecting trail network nearing 50 miles. I was using my Simply Light Designs hammock & tarp but Joey was in a t*nt - don’t hold that against him!
Day 1 started off with a bang, both for the legs and the eyes. After a short walk to get started soon came the steep, stairs-infested climb up to the top of 80-foot High Shoals Falls. On the way up an observation deck took us within close proximity of the falls themselves. A few more miles brought us to an old cemetery right before our site for the night at the Fox Trail campsites.
On Day 2 we traversed around the outer edge of the Park’s trail system and enjoyed the best vistas in SoMo at the Sawtooth View & Chestnut Knob Overlook. 8 miles or so on the day and we arrived at the Little River campsites situated on the top of a bald mountain. Despite the name these sites are a long way and a big climb from the Little River.
After 2 days of perfect, unseasonably warm weather our luck broke on Day 3 and we awoke to a chilly rain. We lounged around in our shelters for a large chunk of the morning waiting for the rain to subside and soaking in the relaxation. A hop, skip and a jump later our adventure was over back at the parking lot.
South Mountains is a great spot for a backpacking trip, especially during the wintertime.
Hope you enjoy the video trip report, thanks for watching!
Layne
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