Winter on Mountain Creek
Paris Mountain State Park, very close to Greenville, South Carolina, is the home of the Mountain Creek Trail, part of a series of trails that are easy to get to and good for all seasons.
Early in 2014, I paid a return visit to the Mountain Creek Trail in Paris Mountain State Park. Last time I was there, it was summer and the place was very green. This time, it was deep winter, and definitely not as lush. However, just as I’ve noted elsewhere, winter treks can be just as beautiful.
But this trip was not just different because it was winter. Last time I went, I apparently didn’t get all the way to the end of the trail. The trail is 2.6 miles, but the last half-mile or so went beyond the junction with a connector trail back to the park road. It actually connects up with the Sulfur Springs Trail, which I have been on twice, once in the summer and once in the winter. I suppose I could consider this my first full hike on the trail.
As one would expect for a winter hike, I focused on the textures of the surroundings and some fungi, as well as the trail itself. I had even considered doing this set in black-and-white, but the orange shelf mushrooms I saw put an end to that thought. I couldn’t bear to let that color go to waste.
It was rather busy for winter, but this park is often very populated. I got to say hello to some of the same people on the way up and the way down. Apparently some folks start at Sulfur Springs, while I started just up from the Visitor’s Center. And there were a good number of runners on the trail, as well as a few bikers. It paid to keep my eyes on the trail, and not just stare at the environs.
As the sun was going down, I opted to extend my trip and finish up with a loop around Lake Placid, a prominent body of water not far from the park entrance. It certainly lived up to its name, with the surface as still as glass. This added just a half-mile or so to my hike, but it’s a gentle hike. There is one option which allows for a climb down to cross where the lake spills over to a creek leading out of the park, so there’s at least a little elevation change, and I took the opportunity for a little more exercise.
And as the trail winds down to the visitor’s center, it crosses a wooden bridge. This bridge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps out of materials native to the area. I tried to get some shots of it, but I was fast losing the light, so they didn’t really come out well. I made it to the end of the trail and the car just as the light was fading for the evening.
