Croft State Park: Lake Johnson Trail (Blog Hike #565)

Trail: Lake Johnson Trail

Hike Location: Croft State Park

Geographic Location: southeast of Spartanburg, SC (34.88138, -81.83591)

Length: 2 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: February 2016

Overview: A circumnavigation of scenic Lake Johnson.

Park Information: https://southcarolinaparks.com/croft

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=496630
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Croft State Park has a park entrance specifically for Lake Johnson visitors.  To get there from the interstate, take I-26 to SR 296 (exit 22). Exit and go east on SR 296.  Drive SR 296 east 1 mile to SR 295 and turn right on SR 295.  Drive SR 295 east 10.5 miles to Johnson Lake Road and turn right on Johnson Lake Rd.  Johnson Lake Rd. deadends at the shore of Lake Johnson in Croft State Park.  Park in the cul de sac at the road’s end that serves as the parking area.

The hike: For my introduction to Croft State Park, see my hike on the park’s Nature Trail from last fall.  The Nature Trail and the Lake Johnson Trail are the park’s two main hiker-only trails, but they offer very different hiking experiences.  Whereas the Nature Trail takes you along flowing Fairforest Creek, the Lake Johnson Trail circumnavigates its namesake lake.  I enjoyed both of my hikes at Croft State Park, and I think it is a wonderful natural resource for the people of Spartanburg.

Trailhead at cul de sac

            To begin a counterclockwise trip around Lake Johnson, walk slightly uphill through a grassy area toward a picnic shelter to the west.  Upon reaching the picnic shelter, angle left and look for where the single track Lake Johnson Trail enters the woods.  There are no signs marking the start of the Lake Johnson Trail, but it is easy to find if you know where to look.

            The trail heads west through forest consisting mainly of beech, maple, pine, and sweet gum trees.  Uphill and downhill sections are short but numerous and sometimes quite steep.  At 0.2 miles, the trail curves left to cross one of Lake Johnson’s tributaries on a wooden bridge, the only bridge on this hike.  Streams in this area are quite small with clear water and sandy bottoms.

Bridge over small tributary

            After crossing the stream, the trail turns south to head back for the lake.  The grassy area you parked beside now appears across the lake to your left.  The trail never strays more than 100 yards from the lake shore, so if you are ever unsure which trail to choose at an intersection, choose the one closest to the lake.

Hiking the Lake Johnson Trail

            0.4 miles into the hike, you reach an intersection with the Lake Johnson Loop horse trail.  Two brown carsonite posts bearing the universal horse trail symbol mark this intersection.  Though no signs indicate such, you need to turn left here and cross another lake tributary to continue your trip around Lake Johnson.  As usual for a horse trail, this and subsequent creek crossings are unbridged, so waterproof hiking boots are preferred for this hike despite its short length.

            For the next 0.5 miles the hiking trail runs conjointly with the horse trail.  The addition of horse traffic means 1) the trail surface will be muddier and rougher than usual, 2) you will have to step around some horse manure, and 3) trail courtesy requires hikers to yield to horse traffic.  Because horses are easily spooked by hikers and hiking staffs, yielding means moving to the side of the trail and allowing the horse traffic to pass.

Lake Johnson

            The wide hiking/horse trail crosses first the dam and then the spillway of Lake Johnson.  Nice views open up down the length of the lake during this stretch.  Immediately after crossing the spillway, be on the lookout for the narrower hiker-only trail that exits uphill to left.  Only a single brown carsonite post marks this point.  Angle left to leave the wide horse trail and continue your journey around the lake.

            The unmarked trail undulates through a couple of steep but shallow ravines as it begins working its way north along Lake Johnson’s east side.  At first you are quite close to the lake, but soon the trail curves right and gradually ascends the hillside.  The lake remains visible through the trees downhill to the left, but this area marks the greatest distance between this loop and the lake.

Joining an old road

            At 1.6 miles, the trail curves left as it intersects what appears to be an old road.  A brief gradual descent deposits you on the south shoulder of the paved road you drove in on.  Turn left and walk 0.3 miles on the pavement to return to the cul de sac that contains your car and complete the hike.

Palmetto Trail, Blackstock Battlefield Loop (Blog Hike #564)

Trail: Palmetto Trail

Hike Location: Blackstock Battlefield

Geographic Location: west of Union, SC (34.67913, -81.81494)

Length: 1.5 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: February 2016

Overview: A short loop through a Revolutionary War battlefield and along the Tyger River.

Trail Information: http://palmettoconservation.org/passage/blackstock-battlefield-passage/

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=494335
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Between Spartanburg and Clinton, take I-26 to SR 49 (exit 44).  Exit and go north on SR 49.  Drive SR 49 north 5.5 miles to Blackstock Road and turn left on Blackstock Rd.  There is a sign for Blackstock Battlefield at this intersection.  Drive Blackstock Rd. 1.2 miles to Monument Road and turn right on Monument Rd.  There is no sign for the battlefield at this intersection.  Drive single lane Monument Road, which is paved at first but then turns to gravel, 1.4 miles to the small Palmetto Trail parking area on the left.  There is no road sign for the parking area, but there is a large trailhead sign visible from the road.

The hike: The date was November 20, 1780 when the focus of the American Revolution turned to upstate South Carolina’s Blackstock Plantation.  Following the Patriots’ major victory at Kings Mountain the previous month, Patriot Brigadier General Thomas Sumter worked to build support in interior South Carolina.  A month later, Sumter’s efforts had resulted in a Patriot militia under his command with over 1000 members.  In an attempt to disrupt Sumter’s recruiting activity, British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis dispatched his subordinate Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, who had never been defeated in battle, with 500 men to interior South Carolina.

            Despite being outnumbered 2 to 1, Tarleton’s troops had superior training and chased Sumter around South Carolina’s interior.  Sumter finally decided to make a stand at Blackstock Plantation, figuring he could use the land’s high relief and plantation’s sturdy buildings to his defensive advantage.  Although Sumter was severely wounded in the battle, his calculation proved accurate: the British took more than 150 casualties while the Patriots took only 7.  Also, Sumter’s wounding forced him to resign his command, which led General Washington to appoint Nathanael Greene as Patriot commander in the South.  Greene would be the man to ultimately lead the Patriots to victory.

            Blackstock Battlefield was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.  The plantation’s structures no longer stand today, but the area’s high relief can still be experienced on this short loop, which also takes you to the former plantation site.  This loop currently stands alone, but when fully completed the state-long Palmetto Trail will pass through the site.  This section of the Palmetto Trail will connect north to the trail’s Glenn Springs passage and south to the trail’s Enoree Passage.

Trailhead signboard at parking lot

            Two trail entrances marked by carsonite posts present themselves near the large trailhead signboard, one going straight and the other going right.  These two trails form the battlefield loop.  This trail description will start on the one going straight and return on the one going right, thus hiking the loop clockwise.  The trail heads northwest through a pine planting, climbing slightly.  The loop is marked with red paint blazes, but some of the famous yellow i-shaped blazes of the Palmetto Trail also appear here.

            In 400 feet, you cross one of many old dirt roads that criss-cross this area.  Soon you reach the edge of a bluff that is steep enough to feel like the edge of the world, an odd sight in this part of the state.  The trail descends the bluff using several switchbacks (real mountain switchbacks!) to reach the Tyger River floodplain.

Tyger River

            A Palmetto Trail camp site with picnic tables appears to the left as you approach the bank of the Tyger River, which was wide and muddy on my visit.  Upon reaching the river, the trail curves right and joins another old road to climb briefly.  Chunks of milky quartz rock, easily identified by its shiny white color, jut up on and around the trail.

            At 0.4 miles, the trail curves left to leave the old road and rejoin single-track path.  Watch for the red blazes to ensure you do not miss this turn.  For the next 0.4 miles the trail parallels the river on a fairly level track.  Thick stands of privet appear beside the trail.

Hiking along the river

            0.8 miles into the hike, the trail curves right to leave the river and head directly up the hillside.  Fortunately this hill is a lot less steep than the one you descended a few minutes ago.  Just shy of 1 mile, you come out on the edge of a meadow that used to be one of Blackstock Plantation’s fields.

Entering the meadow

            The trail curves right to follow the edge of the field.  Watch for a white metal diamond with an arrow and the word “trail” to find where the trail reenters the woods on the right, but before you exit the meadow area angle left to visit the Blackstock Battlefield monument.  The monument consists of a single stone pillar with an interpretive sign that stands near the crest of the hill on which the plantation once stood.  Imagine being a Patriot militiaman standing here with your rifle waiting for the British to emerge from the trees on the other side of the field below.

Blackstock Battlefield monument

            The gravel road that cul de sacs around the monument area is an extension of the road you drove in on, but to stay on single-track trail longer head back to the metal diamond trail marker to continue the loop.  The trail climbs moderately but only for a short distance to reach the highest elevation of the hike.  The thick pine forest prohibits any views.  A brief descent returns you to the trailhead area to complete the hike.