Mountain View Park in Clemson, SC (Blog Hike #894)

Trail: Mountainview Walking Trail
Hike Location: Mountain View Park
Geographic Location: Clemson, SC (34.70100, -82.83907)
Length: 0.75 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Dates Hiked: June 2022, November 2022
Overview: A short loop with gentle grades and good views across Lake Hartwell.
Park Information: https://sites.google.com/cityofclemson.org/parksandrecreationinfo/parks-green-spaces?authuser=0
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=913965
Photo Highlight:

Full Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 76 and SR 133 in downtown Clemson, take SR 133 north 3 blocks to Mountain View Lane and turn left on Mountain View Ln.  Winding and residential Mountain View Ln. dead-ends at the park in 0.6 miles.  Park in the only blacktop parking lot.

The hike: Tucked on the north side of Clemson less than 2 miles from Clemson University, tiny Mountain View Park occupies a peninsula that juts west into the northern-most part of Lake Hartwell.  The park's location in a residential area ensures that only aquatic traffic on Lake Hartwell breaks the serenity here.  The park is owned and maintained by the City of Clemson.

            In terms of amenities, Mountain View Park offers only a boat launch on Lake Hartwell, some picnic tables, a 9 hole disc golf course (reviewed in my Disc Golf Reviews), and the short walking trail described here.  The park's website says that this trail is 1 mile long, but the distance I have given here is more accurate based on my calculations.  While certainly not a destination hike, this trail offers a quick quiet outing in the woods if you have a free hour while in Clemson.

Trailhead at parking area

            A wooden sign on the west side of the parking lot that says "Mountain View Walking Trail" marks the trailhead.  The dirt trail enters the forest, which is dominated by oak, pine, and sweetgum trees.  Some large pockets of poison ivy grow beside the trail, but the wide trail makes them easy to avoid.

Approaching the lakeshore

            After only a few hundred feet, the trail curves left and descends gradually toward Lake Hartwell.  The main loop never reaches the lake shore, but several short spur trails take you down to the waterside for great views across the lake.  The City of Clemson appears to the south, and the wooded Keowee Heights portion of the vast Clemson Experimental Forest appears to the west.

Peering across Lake Hartwell

Hiking along the sewer corridor

            Past the spur trails, the main loop trail climbs gradually to intersect a sewer line corridor.  Now near the top of this peninsula's main ridge, the trail runs atop the sewer line all of the way back to the parking area.  The trail ends at the wooden gate that marks the end of the entrance road, and the parking area is just past the gate on the right.