Hiking Along the East Fork Trail

The East Fork Trail is part of the South Carolina Foothills Trail, an 80-mile trail stretching from Oconee State Park to Table Rock State Park.

This section of the trail begins about 20 miles north of Walhalla and follows the East Fork of the Chattooga River. The trail itself is gorgeous, offering views of lush fields of ferns, rushing rapids, and amazing rock faces.

The trail is fairly easy to moderate in terms of its difficulty. The 2.5 mile stretch allows for a nice 5 mile hike, in and out.  The trail begins from a trailhead near the Walhalla Fish Hatchery and immediately goes over a bridge showing the stream that will accompany the trail throughout most of the trip. The trail soon makes its way through a small glade covered with bright green ferns that are just stunning. After that, you will be treated to amazing rock formations dripping with water, a stone pathway across the stream, and a beautiful hike along the stream until the trail opens out into a camping area for the Foothills trail. A fun day hike, and one that my wife and I have gone on multiple times, each time seeing something new.