Trails / South Carolina / Upstate South Carolina

Foothills Trail: Oconee State Park to Upper Whitewater Falls

Foothills Trail, Sumter National Forest (Andrew Pickens Ranger District) and Ellicott Rock area, Oconee County, to Upper Whitewater Falls (North Carolina line)

The Foothills Trail runs about 77 miles across the Blue Ridge escarpment between Oconee and Table Rock state parks, dipping into North Carolina along the way. The Foothills Trail Conservancy says thru-hikers take five to ten days, but frequent road crossings make it easy to hike in pieces. This page covers the western third, from Oconee State Park to Upper Whitewater Falls.

It’s the part of the trail that follows the Chattooga River, and the 1979 National Recreation Trail record gives it as 28 miles.

The hike

From Oconee State Park, the trail heads north through the Sumter National Forest. The conservancy rates the first section, 4.6 miles to the Jumping Branch trailhead, as easy, with views of the Piedmont and the trailhead for the Tamassee Knob trail. Past Cheohee Road, the trail drops to the river.

The 10.4-mile section from Cheohee Road to Burrells Ford is the longest stretch without a road, and the conservancy rates it strenuous “due to length.” It passes Pig Pen and Lick Log Falls and parallels the Chattooga River, with a mid-section exit at Nicholson Ford Road. Clay Bonnyman Evans, writing for The Trek, calls camping on a sandbar along the Chattooga “a backpacker favorite” and puts those sandbars at about miles 10.6 to 15.5. The Treeline Review guide adds a 0.6-mile round-trip spur to King Creek Falls near Burrells Ford.

Burrells Ford has a walk-in Forest Service campground open year-round, according to Treeline and Campflare. North of it, the trail climbs away from the river. The 3.9 miles to Fish Hatchery Road are easy going east, and the 3.3 miles to Sloan Bridge follow the East Fork of the Chattooga past Hikers’ Peril Falls. The Ellicott Rock Wilderness lies just to the west, where the Chattooga and East Fork meet.

From Sloan Bridge on SC 107, the final 5.5 miles run along the North Carolina-South Carolina line, with views of Lake Jocassee and winter views, before reaching the Upper Whitewater Falls overlook on NC 281. Evans says Whitewater Falls drops about 800 feet in six falls.

A 2008 thru-hiker on Backpacking Light covered Oconee to Burrells Ford in a 16-mile first day. Treeline’s writer found the first night, near Licklog Falls, the coldest of the trip at about 40°F.

The next section, through the Jocassee Gorges, is covered on Upper Whitewater Falls to Laurel Valley. Across the river in Georgia, see the Chattooga River Trail.

Tips

Register at the kiosk. The conservancy says registration is required for day and overnight hikers, and that paying for parking doesn’t count.
Check parking rules at each end. Oconee State Park and the Upper Whitewater Falls lot each have their own requirements.
Hang food or use a canister. A Forest Service order requires it on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District.
Treat all water. The conservancy says water is ample except in the driest conditions.
Wear orange in the fall. The conservancy points hikers to SCDNR and North Carolina hunting regulations.

Camping

Treeline says primitive camping is allowed along most of the trail, with no permit. The conservancy’s FAQ says camping is “expressly forbidden” inside Oconee State Park, and that campfires are allowed only in established fire rings at designated sites during normal conditions. On Forest Service land, camp well back from the trail and the river (see Trail facts). The Upper Chattooga corridor order limits camping groups to six people, and the forest-wide order caps stays at 14 days in 30. Food must be hung at least 10 feet up and 4 feet out, stored in a bear-resistant container, or kept in a hard-sided vehicle.

Inside Intel: Clay Bonnyman Evans recommends the Chattooga sandbars, with many spots to swim and camp. In a guest post on the conservancy’s site, a hiker named Clint camped on a ridge above the Grassy Knob spur after snow made his planned site unusable, calling it “the perfect site for the evening” for its view and sunrise.

Trail facts

Distance: About 28 miles (National Recreation Trail record)
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
Campsites: Primitive sites, many along the Chattooga; Burrells Ford walk-in campground
Water: Chattooga River, East Fork, and creeks. Treat all water.
Permits: None to hike; registration required
Camping setbacks: 50 feet from the trail and river (conservancy); a quarter mile from roads (Forest Service, East Fork Trail page)
Food storage: Required on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District
Dogs: Leashed, non-aggressive dogs allowed
Trailheads: Oconee State Park (SC 107); Burrells Ford Road; Sloan Bridge (SC 107); Upper Whitewater Falls (NC 281)
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

Pitching on a Chattooga sandbar:

River sandbars along the Chattooga are a favorite camp on this stretch of the Foothills Trail. See which backpacking tents reviewers trust for a night by the water.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.