South Carolina’s Old 96 District has over 250 miles of hiking and biking trails! From the avid hiking expert to the casual beginner, discover a wide range of trails for every traveller wandering through State Parks, historic sites, and lakeside views.
Healthy Challenges
Stevens Creek Trail
Stevens Creek Trail
- LOCATION: Hickory Knob State Resort Park
- LENGTH: 6.7 Miles
- DIFFICULTY: Hard
- This trail is most popular for its view, rewarding hikers with a panoramic overlook of Lake Thurmond. Those with a good eye might even spot the rare spider lily species. This area is one of only two places in the world it grows naturally.
Forks Area Trail System (FATS)
Forks Area Trail System (FATS)
- LOCATION: McCormick County
- LENGTH: 37 miles in 6 loops
- DIFFICULTY: Moderate
- For hikers and bikers alike, this trail system begins as a gentle stroll into the forest before splintering off into six different loops, making for several different route options to suit your fancy.
Lakeview Trail
Lakeview Trail
- LOCATION: Hickory Knob State Resort Park
- LENGTH: 7.2 miles
- DIFFICULTY: Diffcult
- Optimized for mountain bikers, this single track roller-coaster of a trail showcases scenic views above and along the shoreline of Strom Thurmond Lake in Hickory Knob Resort State Park.
Beginner Friendly
British Camp Trail
British Camp Trail
- LOCATION: Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site
- LENGTH: 1 Mile
- DIFFICULTY: Easy
- This trail takes place near a Revolutionary War battleground, following the British soldier’s trail through the forest and alongside the river.
Ten Governors Trail
Ten Governors Trail
- LOCATION: Edgefield, SC
- LENGTH: 1 mile linear, 2 miles round trip
- DIFFICULTY: Easy
- This trail begins with a boardwalk over Slade Lake and ends on Main Street in Edgefield, SC. Along the way sit ten different markers for the ten South Carolina governors that hail from this small town.
BeaverRun Trail
Beaver Run Trail
- LOCATION: Hickory Knob State Resort Park
- LENGTH: 2.5 miles
- DIFFICULTY: Easy
- The most gentle of the park’s trails, the 2.3-mile Beaver Run
Trail provides an easy mountain bike ride for beginners. It’s the
perfect setting for a jog, an early morning run, or a meditative
walk, providing an immersion in the natural history of South
Carolina’s Piedmont.
Historic Hikes
Cherokee Path
Cherokee Path
- LOCATION: Ninety Six National Historic Site
- LENGTH: 1.5 miles, one way
- DIFFICULTY: Easy
- The Cherokee Path is a 1.5 mile trail from point to point. It
was once a direct route for traders and trappers, Native
Americans, and settlers to exchange merchandise between the
backcountry and the Carolina coast. Today, you can hike the
existing Cherokee Path at Ninety Six just as Native Americans
and explorers did.
Ten Governors Trail
Ten Governors Trail
- LOCATION: Edgefield, SC
- LENGTH: 1 mile linear, 2 miles round trip
- DIFFICULTY: Easy
- This trail begins with a boardwalk over Slade Lake and ends on Main Street in Edgefield, SC. Along the way sit ten different markers for the ten South Carolina governors that hail from this small town.
Horseshoe Falls/ Battlefield Trail
Horseshoe Falls/ Battlefield Trail
- LOCATION: Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site
- LENGTH: 1.5 miles
- DIFFICULTY: Easy
- This trail begins on the ADA boardwalk, which leads to the
overlook at Horseshoe Falls. The trail leaves the overlook and
goes out to the battlefield area. Along the way are interpretive
waysides that explain the American Revolutionary War battle of
Musgrove Mill which occurred on August 19, 1780.
Scenic Views
Stevens Creek Trail
Stevens Creek Trail
- LOCATION: Hickory Knob State Resort Park
- LENGTH: 6.7 Miles
- DIFFICULTY: Hard
- This trail is most popular for its view, rewarding hikers with a panoramic overlook of Lake Thurmond. Those with a good eye might even spot the rare spider lily species. This area is one of only two places in the world it grows naturally.
Parson's Mountain
Parson's Mountain
- LOCATION: Parson’s Mountain Recreation Area
- LENGTH: 4 mile loop
- DIFFICULTY: Moderate
- Home to an 800-foot summit, Parson’s Mountain Recreation
Area ofers a moderately difcult loop around Parson’s Mountain
Lake. The four-mile loop includes woods overflowing with flora
such as sparkleberry, redbud, wild ginger, and dogwood. Visitors
wanting a tougher hike can take a branch of the trail passing by
Civil War-era gold mines on the way to the summit.
Lakeview Trail
Lakeview Trail
- LOCATION: Hickory Knob State Resort Park
- LENGTH: 7.2 miles
- DIFFICULTY: Diffcult
- Optimized for mountain bikers, this single track roller-coaster of a trail showcases scenic views above and along the shoreline of Strom Thurmond Lake in Hickory Knob Resort State Park.