Karen and I got an early start on the hour-long drive to 40-Acre Rock Heritage Preserve in South Carolina Sunday (5-17-20). We found both sides of the narrow, two-lane entry road lined with parked cars the previous weekend and did not join the chaos. It was worth braving the heavy morning fog to beat the crowd.
We were rewarded with the first parking spot at the trailhead and started walking at 9:45AM. After hiking a little over 5-miles, we left for home at 1:30PM. This lot was full.
The 2,267-acre Preserve got its name from exaggerating pioneers that dubbed this 14-acre granite outcrop 40-Acre Rock. The surface is pocked with moonlike craters that hold water in early spring and create their own ecosystems.
A few of the craters or “solution pools” still had vivid botanical displays growing in them.
A beautiful hike through dense forest slopes downward at the edge of the giant granite dome and circles a beaver pond at the halfway point.
Flat Creek flows over smooth granite at the base of the hike’s first leg. We crossed Flat Creek several times on small, wooden bridges.
Straying off on false trails along the 5-mile loop is easily avoided by following the many markers along the correct path.
We ate lunch overlooking a huge beaver pond. There were surprisingly few pesky insects for such a swampy area. Social distancing was not an issue. We encountered a family with four kids that waited 15-feet off the trail for us to pass and a couple with two Yorkies we easily moved off the trail to avoid.
This green-scene reflection shot of the beaver pond would make a challenging jigsaw puzzle.
Much of the lower portion of the return trail meanders along the edge of Flat Creek. Its sandy banks are rife with deadfalls and small beaches by swimming holes.
Last year in late summer, this fall over a small cave was dry. The trail from here is a steep climb back to the top of 40-Acre Rock.
With the fog gone, we could see huge swaths of amber waves of grain that stretched out of sight on both sides of the road home. This was an excellent adventure and well worth our revisit. Cue up “America the Beautiful.”