| Paris Mountain State Park - Sulphur Springs Loop Trail |
Paris Mountain State Park is located just north of Greenville, SC and is easily accessible from Interstate 85 and 385. There are many nice facilities in the park including hiking, biking, fishing, camping and they even offer cabins for rent. There is a small fee of $2 per person to enter the park. This fee will give you access to use the park, but you should check with the park for additional fees for camping or renting the cabins. |
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The Sulphur Springs Loop trail is a fairly easy, 4 mile loop trail that begins and ends at the Sulphur Springs picnic area, climbs to the location of the old fire tower on top of the mountain and then returns back to the parking area. The first 1/2 mile of the trail is well traveled, as it leads to a well known water reservoir called Mountain Lake. The dam that holds this lake was built in 1898, to provide the drinking water for the growing city of Greenville. Since then, the water shed has moved to the north end of Greenville county, near Table Rock. The next mile leads up the mountain to the old fire tower and is fairly steep in places. |
At about 1 1/2 miles, the trail intersects with the Old Fire Tower Bike Trail; be sure to go straight here, past the old home site with the 2 chimneys as the trail can be a little confusing. The bike trail goes to your right and leads down to Buckhorn Gate. The remainder of the hike is fairly uneventful. You will come to the trailhead at Buckhorn Gate at about mile 3, where roads and trails lead in several directions. Be sure to look for the signs for Sulphur Springs trail, or you might get on the Brissey Ridge trail by accident. The last mile is all downhill, but there's not much to see. |
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This trail is good for an easy stroll through the mountains, but there really isn't much to see. The 1st mile of the trail follows a mountain lake, and there are a few nice cascades and waterfalls along this stretch. Other than that, and a few sporadic views, this trail could be located anywhere. One nice advantage to this trail and Paris Mountain State Park is it's close location to the thousands of people in the city of Greenville. To see our pictures, go here! |