Sumter National Forest: Lick Fork Lake (Blog Hike #209)

Trails: Horn Creek and Lick Fork Creek Trails

Location: Sumter National Forest, Lick Fork Lake

Geographic Location: north of North Augusta, SC (33.72965, -82.04081)

Length: 6.6 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: January 2007, December 2012, and March 2014

Overview: An easy to moderate hike featuring a small lake and two Piedmont streams.

Area Information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/scnfs/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=47183&actid=50
Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=143020
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From North Augusta, take I-20 to SR 230 (exit 1).  Exit and go north on SR 230.  Take SR 230 north 15 miles to Secondary Road 263, the signed turnoff for Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area.  Turn right on Secondary Road 263.  Take Secondary Road 263 1.9 miles to FR 639 and turn right on FR 639.  Take FR 639 0.2 miles downhill to the parking lot for the picnic area and park in this lot.  If the gate to FR 639 is closed, you will need to park outside the gate, taking care not to block the gate, and walk the final 0.2 miles to the picnic area.

The hike: Nestled in a ravine 20 miles northeast of Augusta, Lick Fork Lake provides a placid oasis of recreation in the rolling pine woods of South Carolina’s Piedmont.  Fishermen, picnickers, swimmers, and people just seeking peace and quiet enjoy the tranquil waters of man-made 12 acre Lick Fork Lake, which is maintained as part of Sumter National Forest. 

Perhaps the most popular attraction at Lick Fork Lake is the Horn Creek Trail.  Exiting east from the lake, the Horn Creek Trail is a well-maintained, well-marked 5.7 mile loop that features hikes along two streams, Lick Fork Creek and Horn Creek.  While the trail is popular with mountain bikers, hikers can partake in this natural delight as well.  In fact, combining the Horn Creek Trail with the 1.9 mile Lick Fork Lake Trail, which circumnavigates the lake, makes for a very pleasant 6.6 mile hike through nice Piedmont forest.

Lick Fork Lake

            Begin by heading downhill on a blacktop path through the picnic area toward the lake.  Upon reaching the lake, turn left and begin walking east through the mown grass lakeside area with the lake on your right and the picnic area uphill to the left.  Cross an old but sturdy wooden bridge over an inlet of the lake, and then pass around another smaller inlet to arrive at the blacktop boat ramp. 

Picnic Area-Lick Fork Lake

Walk up the boat ramp and cross FR 639 to arrive at the signed trailhead for the Horn Creek Trail.  The trail forms a loop, leaving to the left and right from this trailhead.  For reasons to be seen later, it is better to hike the loop clockwise, so begin by following the trail to the left.  The trail climbs gently through second growth mixed pine and hardwood forest.  Near the top of the ridge, the trail curves right and begins descending.  At 0.8 miles, the trail arrives at and crosses a small stream on a wooden footbridge.

In another 100 feet, the trail crosses gravel FR 634 and reenters the forest on the opposite side.  Some younger pine trees appear through the forest up ahead, but the trail curves to the right and stays in the older, more open forest.  After a long gradual descent, the trail reaches mile post 1.0 while walking beside a small stream.  White carsonite posts such as these appear along the trail at half-mile intervals.

Horn Creek Trail

For the next 1.2 miles the trail follows this stream, heading downstream toward Horn Creek.  Twice the stream is crossed. While both crossings are made on a footbridge, the first footbridge had been washed out when I hiked this trail, though material was in place to construct a replacement.  The second of these bridges, an Eagle Scout project dating to 1992, gives a nice view of a very small waterfall to the right of the bridge.

Just past mile post 2.0, the trail reaches the Horn Creek ravine, where the forest abruptly changes character.  Gone are the tall, stately older pine trees, and arrived are shorter, younger trees allowing copious sunlight and a dense understory.  The trail curves to the right and begins following Horn Creek downstream.  Occasionally views of tranquil Horn Creek open up through the trees on the left, but the trail never gets closer than 50 feet from the creek, so enjoy these views when you get them.

The trail curves right away from the creek while climbing to cross what appears to be an old logging road before descending to near creek level again.  Just after arriving at creek level again, look to the left and notice that Horn Creek has widened to form a marsh, the result of beaver activity just downstream.  3 miles into the hike, the trail crosses gravel FR 634 for the second and final time.  This crossing marks the lowest and middle point of this hike.

Marsh along Horn Creek

            The trail reenters the forest on the other side of the road and curves right as it uses a pair of broad switchbacks to ascend away from Horn Creek.  As I mentioned in the introduction, this trail is also open to mountain bikes.  If you should encounter a biker as I did along this stretch of trail, simply step to the side of the trail and let the bike pass.  For the next mile the trail travels through brushy young upland forest with only minor elevation change.  Just past mile post 3.5, someone has taken the opportunity of a windfall to create a pair of stumps that make great chairs.  A few hundred feet past the stumps, the trail crosses gravel FR 263 for the only time.

At mile post 4.0, the trail reaches the height of land and begins a 0.5 mile descent toward Lick Fork Creek.  At first this descent is gradual involving a broad switchback, but the last 50 feet are rather steep.  Upon reaching the creek, the trail curves to the right and begins traveling parallel to the creek, heading upstream.  At first the trail stays very close to the rocky creek, but soon the trail climbs to a bluff and clings precipitously to the slope for a short time.

The trail remains well above the creek as it crosses gravel FR 640.  Across the road, the trail curves left and heads back down to creek level.  0.1 miles past mile post 5.5, you will reach the intersection of the Horn Creek and Lick Fork Creek trails where you must make a choice.  The Lick Fork Creek Trail exits to the left and immediately offers a tricky ford of Lick Fork Creek.  This ford involves scrambling over uneven rocks that form a small natural waterfall in the creek, and it is the reason you should hike the Horn Creek Trail clockwise.  Should you decide that the ford is not for you, you can continue along the Horn Creek Trail for another 0.1 miles to close the loop and then retrace your steps 0.3 miles through the picnic area to complete the hike.

Lick Creek ford

The more adventurous among us should ford the creek and hike the Lick Fork Creek Trail, which circumnavigates Lick Fork Lake.  Across the creek, the trail begins heading moderately uphill as the black concrete dam that creates Lick Fork Lake comes into view on your right.  This trail is not as well worn as the Horn Creek Trail, so watch the blazes as you begin your journey above the west bank of Lick Fork Lake.

Dam Creating Lick Fork Lake

The trail curves left to cross some small tributaries of the lake.  While bridges at one time existed to make crossing these streams easier, several of them have fallen into disrepair and have collapsed.  The beach and picnic area can be seen across the lake.  6.0 miles into the hike, the trail crosses what appears to be a bike path that leads directly up the steep hillside above the lake. 

Now above the murky, marshy headwaters of the lake, the trail heads up a steep ravine to cross one last tributary before descending to reach Lick Fork Creek itself.  The creek must be forded again here, but this ford is much easier than the one below the dam and can usually be made on relatively flat stepping stones.

            The trail now curves sharply right and begins heading back toward the lake with Lick Fork Creek on your right and the hillside rising to your left.  At 6.4 miles, the trail crosses one final footbridge that is somewhat in disrepair.  For the final 0.2 miles, the trail climbs through mature hardwood forest to reach an information board along paved FR 639, the entrance road to the picnic area.  A right turn and brief downhill walk will return you to the picnic area parking lot and complete the hike.