Cow Trail

Every so often being an employee at Gorges State Park pays off in a big way. Today was one of those days. Although I had been working at the park for nearly a year I had yet to set foot on the Foothills Trail which crosses the remote southern reaches of the park. By foot, the way most people have to access it, it takes a minimum 5-mile walk to reach it and the spot I'd be visiting this day would take closer to 8-miles! Fortunately for me some work needed to be done along the remote, so-called Cow Trail which links the Auger Hole Trail at Turkeypen Gap to the Foothills Trail a couple miles south. This allowed me to drive within a mile or so of the Foothills Trail and, on my lunch break, make the quick walk down for a look around. The day was grey but I wasn't complaining, it was a rare opportunity to visit a less-frequented part of the park with minimal effort. Come on along for a look at a corner of Gorges State Park that few people have the opportunity to see...

4-9-2014

Gorges State Park - Chestnut Mountain Road & the Cow Trail

Chestnut Mountain Road-Cow Trail Route Map
The route...
Chestnut Mountain Road
The Chestnut Mountain Road as it leaves the Grassy Ridge area of the park. The 4-wheel drive and clearance requirements are no joke, as you'll see...
Chestnut Mountain Road
Within a half mile the road crosses the trail to the Raymond Fisher Primitive Campground...
Chestnut Mountain Road
What I believe to be the unmaintained trail to Windy Falls (I will have to investigate later!) dives into the rhododendron...
Chestnut Mountain Road
The landscape drops away steeply to either side of the road as it meanders along the crest of Chestnut Ridge...
Chestnut Mountain Road
Chestnut Mountain Road as is winds along the ridge...
Chestnut Mountain Road
The forest along the ridge is quite young due to frequent logging over the past 100 years or so...
Chestnut Mountain Road
A couple miles in the real up's and downs begin. Though the length of the road is entirely wooded some nice views are had on the rare occasion when the road straightens a bit...
Chestnut Mountain Road
The Chestnut Mountain Road actually marks the boundary between Gorges State Park to the east and North Carolina Game Lands to the west so heading down the occasional tree to your left is marked like this...
Chestnut Mountain Road
...while trees to your right are marked like this...
Chestnut Mountain Road
Driving this road before the leaves had sprung to life at least offered some limited views...
Wood-sorrel
The wildflowers are a bit late this year, especially at the higher elevations, but as the road descended I began to spot more like this unique beauty...Wood-sorrel...
Wood-sorrel
A closer look at the Wood-sorrel reveals what a wonderfully unique design this plant has...
Chestnut Mountain Road
It's really hard to convey in a picture the steepness of certain sections of this road...
Chestnut Mountain Road @ Turkeypen Gap
Perhaps the steepest pitch on the Chestnut Mountain Road is here, where it pretty much dumps you into Turkeypen Gap...
Chestnut Mountain Road @ Turkeypen Gap
Turkeypen Gap, with the Chestnut Mountain Road dropping in across the way and curving away down the mountain to the left. The Auger Hole Trail heads to the right as it drops away to the east and eventually, 7.5 miles away reaches the western boundary of the park at Frozen Creek Access.

From here I'd continue driving south (which you can't do unless you're lucky enough to be a park employee like me!) along what is known as the Cow Trail, which acts as an extension of the Auger Hole Trail providing a connector to the Foothills Trail a couple miles south...
Cow Trail
Though gated, the state park keeps this road open to provide backcountry access in case of emergencies...
Sessile Bellwort
Spring was more and more evident down at these elevations (I had descended from about 3,000' to about 2,000' here) so there was a bit more wildflower variety. If I hadn't been driving so slowly I may have missed this one...the unassuming Sessile Bellwort...
Cow Trail
About halfway down the Cow Trail we passed under the power lines which bisect the park...not real pretty but they do provide for some nice views...
Cow Trail
The dreariness of the day was brightened by the hint of spring green all around...
Cow Trail
A wide, recently cut opening less than a mile before the Foothills Trail is a backcountry helipad for serious emergencies...
Cow Trail
From the helipad I was on foot as the terrain drops steeply, and I mean steeply off to the south...
Dwarf Iris
These pretty little guys are supposedly rare in the mountains...everywhere I suppose but Gorges State Park! Aside from the plentiful violet, these Spring Dwarf Iris's, were probably the second most plentiful wildflower I spotted this day...
Cow Trail
A break in the trees signals my arrival at the power line opening which marks the southern end of the Cow Trail...
Cow Trail
The panorama that opened up upon my arrival at the manway was far more impressive than I expected. Despite the obvious eyesore of the power lines (without which there wouldn't be a view, I hate to admit) the spring greens washing over the hills and ridges surrounding me was exhilarating...
Cow Trail
Looking west from where I broke out onto the manway...
Cow Trail
Looking west from where I broke out onto the manway...
Cow Trail
Knowing the Foothills Trail couldn't be far off now I began the steep descent beneath the power lines...
Cow Trail
Though you can't see it in his shot I had spotted the Foothills Trail sign in ravine just below me, only a few more nearly vertical feet to go...
Cow-Foothills Trail Junction
The end of the Cow Trail. After nearly a year of work at Gorges State Park I could finally say I had stepped foot on the Foothills Trail within the park...this was a big moment for me...
Foothills Trail
Peering down the Foothills Trail heading west...from this point its only 42 miles to its western terminus at Oconee State Park, SC...
Foothills Trail
Peering down the Foothills Trail east, into Gorges State Park. From here the trail meanders along the southern periphery for 7 miles or so before re-entering South Carolina and continuing on another 27 miles to its eastern terminus at Table Rock State Park, SC.

Although I cheated a bit to get down here I was long overdue to visit this corner of our park, so no complaints...next time I'm here hopefully I'll do it the legitimate way. For now though this will certainly do...