Foothills Trail Conservancy

Home
United States
Greenville, SC
Foothills Trail Conservancy

Interested in joining the Foothills Trail Conservancy? Information on planning a hike, trail guides, or maps can be located at www.Foothillstrail.org.

Whether you are looking for a long-distance backpacking trip or an exciting day-hike, the Foothills Trail offers an extraordinary opportunity to explore the Southern Appalachians. About 77 miles in length, the Foothills Trail is located along the Blue Ridge Escarpment in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. The trail is within easy driving distance of Greenville, Asheville, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Feel free to post trail photos or tell us of your experience hiking the FTC.

04/25/2026

57 volunteers from the Foothills Trail Conservancy (FTC) spent over 1100 hours clearing the damage caused by Winter Storm Fern on January 25, 2026 (aka as the ice storm). The ice storm impacted every mile of the Foothills Trail along with the area spur trails). The FTC thanks all the volunteers who helped get the trails cleared by March 13, 2026. We also thank our trusted hiker scouts that report blowdowns on the trail, Brooks Wade and the boat captains at Jocassee Lake Tours that provided boat shuttles to the remote areas, and the SC & NC state park crews. Please see the attached photo for more information on our volunteers.

04/21/2026

The annual early spring Wildflower Hike was lead by former Executive Director, Heyward Douglass, and local professional botanist Cory Dodgens. A group of ten FTC members were treated to a succession of blooming early-spring wildflowers from the Whitewater Falls parking lot to Bad Creek, with a break at the three bridges for lunch. Despite the pervasive drought conditions the wildflowers in some cases seem to be more numerous than usual !

04/02/2026

Saturday, April 11 – FTC Spring Picnic.

The FTC 2026 Spring Picnic will be held at the White Oak Shelter at Table Rock State Park, beginning at 2:00 pm. The meal will be served around 4:30 pm. This is a potluck gathering, so bring a dish to share! There will be a $10 charge for adults. The park entrance fee is waived for FTC members. Please notify the gate attendant. Music provided by The BlueWall Ramblers (David White, Becky Stovall, and Patrick Powers). Following the meal, Kenny Rupert will present an "Introduction to Mushrooms & Identification." In this session, he’ll explore mushroom anatomy and life cycles, laying the foundation for understanding how fungi grow and function in the natural world.We’ll cover the basics of mushroom identification, including key features to look for, and examine examples of toxic and deadly species alongside a few commonly found edible varieties.

If there’s interest, we’ll conclude with a short walk in the woods to see what we can discover - keeping in mind that it is somewhat off - season, so sightings may be limited.

Come curious and ready to learn!
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/6kr3dkg

03/30/2026

Last Friday these volunteers from the Foothills Trail Conservancy made it out to clear the Pigeon Gap Rd access to the Foothills Trail, and the sign is finally up at the new Rock House Campsite! While they were there they cleaned out access to the nearby water source and got the signpost for the bear cables installed. This campsite was built last Fall in a joint project with GNHA Hiking Club , and we are thrilled to see the sign up!

03/24/2026

Everyone please be aware of the elevated fire risk in our area. The use of outdoor fire is strongly discouraged under these conditions, and that includes the Foothills Trail. Please be safe and follow all fire warnings and restrictions.

03/21/2026

Join us at Devils Fork State Park for Bellfest and get ready for an unforgettable experience, with perfect weather on the forecast.

03/14/2026

Great news from Gorges State Park! The Foothills Trail is now open within Gorges SP, along with the Canebrake and Auger Hole Trails that access the FHT. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the State Park Personnel that have worked to clear this hard-hit section of the trail!

03/13/2026

We have been notified by the USFS that there is a high likelihood of a prescribed burn operation tomorrow (Saturday March 14th) that would close part of the Foothiils Trail between SC 107 and Licklog Campsite (see circled area in photo). They will not know for certain about the weather conditions until early morning, but be advised to change your plans if you intended to hike this area tomorrow. If they do close the trail, there will be signs and rangers patrolling the area. Please obey all signed warnings, as well as any instructions from USFS personnel.

Note that the closest access to the Foothills Trail bypassing this closure is the Big Bend Trail, across from the Cherry Hill Recreational Area.

03/10/2026

The volunteer crews are continuing to make great progress! The FHT is fully open from Oconee SP to the Horsepasture River and beyond. Crews will continue to work in coming days, and we are hoping for good news from Gorges SP. We do know that the Auger Hole Trail is open and accessible from the FHT, enabling access from the Frozen Creek Access in Gorges.
PDF: https://caltopo.com/p/H0P90

12/08/2025

Thank you Zac Barker for making and installing a "Hiker Box" at the Rock Creek Campsite on the Foothills Trail! You did a terrific job!

Zac is 7 years old and he was assisted by his older brother Dylan Barker and his mother Lisa Barker. Many thanks to Zac for leading this effort and his crew for helping.

Address

PO Box 3041 Greenville
Greenville, SC
29602

Website

http://www.foothillstrail.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Foothills Trail Conservancy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Foothills Trail Conservancy:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Greenville?