“We didn’t even realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”
A.A. Milne
Sassafras Mountain is the highest point in South Carolina at an elevation of 3,533 ft. In April 2017 we made plans to camp at Table Rock State Park in Pickens County, South Carolina where the Sassafras Mountain trailhead is. The hike from the trailhead is a little over 9 miles, but there is also a gravel road that leads all the way to a parking area at the top, and short walk gets you to the summit. The views from the top are incredible! You can see four states – TN, GA, SC, and NC from the top. I’ve read in recent years an observation tower has been added, but that was not there when we visited. We were the only ones there so we let the dogs roam and enjoyed the views for awhile before heading back to the campground.
Table Rock State Park is lovely too! When we first got to our campsite we were a bit disappointed because it felt like we were kind of in the middle of a concrete parking lot, but a little time and a little wine (& some bourbon) got us over that problem really quick. We did have some interesting neighbors – on one side we had a nice older couple who invited us to their site for drinks. On the other side must have been the “South Carolina Cornhole Championship” or something. I’ve never seen people who could play cornhole so long and maintain that level of enthusiasm.
We also found another trail that led to some beautiful waterfalls. I think the waterfall hike was about 6 miles, but well worth seeing the beautiful scenery.
Camping is something Malcolm and I have always enjoyed together and little did we know this would be our last camping trip and last high point before we found out we were expecting our first son — that news would come about a month later after my 30th birthday trip to Vegas! We had no plans at this time to have kids, but Malcolm says this was the weekend he knew we would be expanding our family soon. As much as I hate saying it… he was right.
