Clemson Experimental Forest: Collarbone/Issaqueena Lake/Dam Road Loop (Blog Hike #1012)

Trails: Collarbone, Rocky, Issaqueena Lake, and Dam Road Trails
Hike Location: Clemson Experimental Forest
Geographic Location: north of Clemson, SC (34.73875, -82.84099)
Length: 4.5 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2024
Overview: A loop hike partly along Lake Issaqueena.
Forest Information: https://www.clemson.edu/public/experimental-forest/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=960043
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 3, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: From Clemson, take SR 133 north 3.9 miles to the second intersection with Old Six Mile Road, which is reached just after passing D. W. Daniel High School.  Turn left on Old Six Mile Rd.  Drive Old Six Mile Rd. west 0.5 miles to the parking lot on the right for the Horseshoe Trailhead.  A small lot near a picnic area holds 6-10 cars, but a larger U-shaped lot surrounds the small lot and provides parking for dozens of cars.

The hike: Owned and maintained by Clemson University, Clemson Experimental Forest consists of 17,500 mostly wooded acres in and around Clemson.  The Forest has a dual mission of recreation and education/research.  Many students at Clemson University's College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences have gained valuable knowledge and experience by working/learning in this vast area.

            On the recreation side, Clemson Experimental Forest is accessed by an extensive network of closed roads and single track trails, so the possible hiking routes are almost inexhaustible.  The Forest's recreational center is man-made Lake Issaqueena, and the loop described here takes you along the undeveloped east side of the lake while staying in woods the whole time.  I lived in this area for 13 years before hiking at Clemson Experimental Forest, and after hiking here I wished I had not waited so long.

Horseshoe Trailhead

            From the Horseshoe Trailhead, head southwest on the Dam Road Trail, but in only a couple hundred feet turn right to begin heading northwest on the Collarbone Trail.  Trails in Clemson Experimental Forest are mostly unmarked, but intersections are marked with brown carsonite posts bearing the trail's name.  The Collarbone Trail undulates gradually as it heads out a narrow finger ridge.  Pine trees dominate the forest here, but some nice beech and maple trees will also be passed.  Some dogwoods were in full bloom on this ridge when I hiked here in early April.

Dogwoods in bloom

            0.5 miles into the hike, you begin a series of switchbacks as you drop off the end of the finger ridge.  At the bottom of the hill, you reach a trail intersection with the Lawrence Trail.  A nice bench sits at this intersection.  Angle softly left to continue descending, now with a small creek to your left.

            At 0.8 miles, you reach an intersection with the Rocky Trail where the Collarbone Trail ends.  Turn left to begin heading west on the Rocky Trail.  The name "Rocky Trail" sounds intimidating, but in fact the hiking is fairly easy: the Rocky Trail heads downstream with one of Issaqueena Lake's feeder streams on your right.  Gravel Issaqueena Lake Road, which is open to vehicle traffic part of the year, and some picnic areas can be seen across the creek to your right.

Starting the Issaqueena Lake Trail

            Just past 1 mile, the Rocky Trail ends where an access trail heads right to reach a parking area.  Angle left to climb briefly on the Rocky Trail Extension, then turn right to begin the Issaqueena Lake Trail, which is kind of this hike's main trail.  The Issaqueena Lake Trail starts by heading down along the same creek the Rocky Trail followed, but soon the ravine tightens and you will need to negotiate some narrow trail that clings to the hillside about 10 feet above the creek.

Hiking along Lake Issaqueena

            At 1.4 miles, the trail curves left as you get your first view of Lake Issaqueena, which will remain downhill to your right for the next 1.6 miles.  The trail weaves in and out of 3 major ravines, and some monarch butterflies flittered around me as I hiked along the lake.  The lake color nearly matched the sky color when I hiked here on a beautiful Friday afternoon.

Lake Issaqueena

            3 miles into the hike, you reach the concrete dam that forms Lake Issaqueena.  Some pink azaleas were in full bloom here, and the views back up the lake were perfect.  The concrete dam made a nice place to sit, rehydrate, and rest before starting the final leg of the hike.

Azalea in bloom

View from Lake Issaqueena's dam

            The Issaqueena Lake Trail ends at the dam, so to continue this loop you have to take the only other trail that leads here: the Dam Road, which is closed to vehicles.  The Dam Road climbs away from the lake on a moderate to steep grade.  In total, it is about 250 feet of elevation gain back to the trailhead, but you will gain most of that elevation in the road's first 0.3 miles.

Hiking on the Dam Road

            On several occasions a trail called the Dam Road Trail exits left, and you could use that option if you prefer to hike on single-track dirt trail rather than on two-track dirt/gravel road.  The trail is longer with more undulations, so choose the option that best suits you.  The road returns you to the trailhead at 4.5 miles, while the trail gets you there at about 5 miles total.