Outings & Events

Foothills Trail Conference 2010 Outings

Notifications will be sent through our online registration system. Please sign up to receive outing notification by providing your e-mail address to the Foothills Trail Conference mailing list on our Web site www.foothillstrail.org. The number of registrants per hike is at the discretion of the hike leader and will be limited. Registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis. You will be asked to fill out an Acknowledgement of Risk form prior to your hike.

The Foothills Trail Conference does not permit dogs on group hikes.

February 20-Winter Views Hike. While the leaves are off the trees, drink in the beautiful views on the Foothills Trail from Sloan Bridge to Upper Whitewater Falls on a one-way, moderate 5.5-mile hike with trip leader Heyward Douglass, Foothills Trail Conference board member. Meet 9 a.m. at Upper Whitewater Falls parking lot on NC 281. (U.S. Forest Service parking fee required.) Bring lunch, water, camera and binoculars.

March 20-Station Cove Falls. Join John Garton, Foothills Trail Conference board member emeritus, on an easy, 2-mile hike (round-trip) through a gorgeous Appalachian cove forest that takes you to Station Cove Falls, a stepped 60-foot waterfall that forms from headwaters atop Station Mountain. Station Cove is also perhaps the Upstate's premier wildflower site, and don't be surprised when John stops to identify salamanders and snakes! Meet 10 a.m. at Oconee Station State Historic Site office parking lot on Oconee Station Road off SC 11 in Oconee County. Bring lunch, snacks, water and appropriate clothing and footgear.

April 17-Wildflower walk at Whitewater Falls. Led by Duke Rankin, botanist with the U.S. Forest Service, this annual rite of spring will get your spring season started off right with a lovely display of wildflowers. Meet at 10 a.m. at the Upper Whitewater Falls parking lot on NC 281. (U.S. Forest Service parking fee required.) Bring lunch, snacks, water and appropriate clothing and footgear. Please register here

April 20 - EarthFest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at Greenville Tech.

April 24 - FTC Spring Picnic - The Foothills Trail Conference would like to invite you toourAnnualSpring Picnic, at Table Rock State Park, White Oak Shelter. We will gather at2:00pm and eat at 4:30pm. The FTC will provide soda, burgers, hot dogs and chicken. Please bring a side item to share. Also feel free to bring an outdoor activity/game. Park fee will be waived for FTC members.

Please RSVP by April 16by clicking the link below or email info@foothillstrail.org. Please include the number of participants. Register

April 24 - Friends Day - Paris Mountain State Park, 11am to 3pm

May 15 - Panthertown. Join Cathy Foster, geologist and Foothills Trail Conference board member, as she leads an exploration of the "Yosemite of the East." Panthertown is a 6,300-acre bowl perched at an elevation of 3,600 feet in North Carolina's Nantahala National Forest. It is, arguably, one of the East's most unusual wild treasures. A collection of rounded granitic domes rim the valley where the rugged Tuckasegee River is born amid a blend of waterfalls and high-elevation bogs. This is also prime bloom time for pink lady's slippers! A strenuous hike of about 6 miles, the Panthertown outing will include Panthertown Valley Loop, two waterfalls and Little Green Mountain. Meet at 9 a.m. at Upper Whitewater Falls parking lot, and we will carpool from there. Driving time from Upper Whitewater Falls to the trailhead is about 45 minutes. Bring lunch, snacks, water, binoculars and appropriate clothing and footgear.

May 22 - Ellicott Rock Hike. Join Bill Baskin, Foothills Trail Conference board member, on a walk along the Chattooga River on the Foothills Trail to Ellicott Rock and back, about 7 miles. Meet 10 a.m. at Burrells Ford Campground on the Chattooga River on Burrells Ford Road, off SC 107. Bring lunch, snacks, water and other appropriate clothing and footgear.

June 5 - Upper Whitewater Falls to Lower Whitewater Falls. This National Trails Day hike will walk between two gorgeous 400-foot waterfalls and will be led by Jerry Harvey, Foothills Trail Conference member. This is a strenuous hike of about 5 miles. (A shorter version of 3 miles is available if hikers want to skip Lower Whitewater Falls and walk out at Bad Creek Hydro Project.) Meet at 10 a.m. at the Foothills Trail/Whitewater River Corridor parking lot at Bad Creek Hydro Project on SC 130 in Oconee County. Bring lunch, snacks, water and appropriate clothing and footgear.

July 17 - Long Shoals Wayside Family Adventure. Get ready to get wet at Long Shoals Wayside alongside Little Eastatoee Creek on SC 11. A short hike of one mile will be available, but the main event will be swimming and sliding in the waters of Little Eastatoee. Bring tubes, old life jackets or other materials appropriate for sliding, and pack a picnic lunch to enjoy. Meet 10 a.m. at Long Shoals Wayside on SC 11 in Pickens County. Trip leader is Greg Lucas, Foothills Trail Conference board member. Bring lunch, snacks, water, bathing suits and other appropriate clothing and footgear.

August 21 - Chattooga River Summer Family Hike. Join Maija Hurst and Bill Baskin of the Foothills Trail Conference on an easy walk down the Chattooga River on the Foothills Trail. Meet 10 a.m. at Burrells Ford Campground on the Chattooga River on Burrells Ford Road, off SC 107. The hike will be an easy one of moderate distance, with lots of stops. Bring bathing suits in case you want to take a swim! Bring lunch, snacks, water, and other appropriate clothing and footgear.

September 18 - Rainbow Falls, Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. South Carolina's Rainbow Falls, which is on YMCA Camp Greenville property, drops 100 feet over steep walls streaked with black and tan from the alternating layers of amphibolite, schist and gneiss. Join John Park, Foothills Trail Conference board member, on a strenuous 5-mile round-trip hike. Meet 10 a.m. at the Jones Gap State Park Education Center. (S.C. State Park Service parking fee required.) Bring lunch, snacks, water and appropriate clothing and footgear.

September 25 - The Outdoor Family Adventure - Celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Duke World of Energy.

October 16 - Eastatoee Creek Heritage Preserve/The Narrows. Join Richard Cain of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources as he leads a strenuous round-trip hike of around 5.5 miles into Eastatoee Creek Heritage Preserve and to a new viewing area (that is currently under construction) for The Narrows, a scenic spot on Eastatoee Creek. Meet 10 a.m. at the Foothills Trail parking lot on Horsepasture Road, off US 178 at Laurel Valley. Bring lunch, snacks, water, and other appropriate clothing and footgear.