PICKENS COUNTY — After last year’s success of In Your Back Yard, a series published by The Sentinel-Progress to provide family friendly ideas for Upstate adventures in the summer months, we decided to bring it back for another run.
Last year we did stories on Stumphouse Tunnel, Issaqueena Falls, The Greenville Zoo and The Happy Berry — just to name a few.
Coming up with new ideas for fun stuff to do with the kids now that school’s out was going to be a tall order … So we went to the tallest place we could find — in fact, the tallest place in the state.
Sassafras Mountain boasts the highest elevation point in the entirety of South Carolina and it’s right here, nestled up in the corner of our own Pickens County.
Rising up along the South Carolina, North Carolina border access to Sassafras was closed for a while last year due to the Pinnacle Mountain wildfires that had spread out along Table Rock State Park although Sassafras itself was spared any damage.
The mountain sits atop a steep — but paved — road that takes visitors practically to the summit. Once parked, you can stroll a short distance over to the Overlook, or “hike” the gravel access road up to the very top where a lovely park bench and plaque mark an elevation of 3,553 feet.
Impressive.
The view from the top of Sassafras is unmatched — you can see for miles and miles on a clear day. It also makes for a splendid place for a family picnic as the top is easily accessible to even the most unambitious climber, young or old.
How to get there? Well, the easiest way is just to take U.S. 178 out of Pickens. Once you reach the S.C. 11 intersection, go straight through and follow the giant brown signs to your destination.
A word to to the wise — 178 gets very curvy once you get into the mountains and when the signs advise a 25 mph turn — they mean it. Drive slow.
From I-85, you can take exit 21 and drive north on U.S. 178 until you reach Rocky Bottom. From there, take F. Van Clayton Highway nearly five miles which will bring you up to the parking lot at the top.
According to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the North Carolina side of the mountain used to be owned by former Congressman Charles H. Taylor until in June 2010 he sold 8,000 acres to The Conservation Fund.
The Fund then donated 4.8 acres at the top of the mountain to SCDNR.
Tip for the trip: There is no charge for parking at Sassafras, but there are no facilities of any kind there either. Bring a lunch and bottled water if you’re planning an afternoon. Also, bring a camera — you’re going to want it.
All in all, Sassafras is close enough to make a spur of the moment trip while at the same time being far enough to enjoy a nice ride in the mountains.
There are a wealth of treasures in the Upstate, get out there and enjoy them.