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South Carolina trails · Fork Mountain Trail

Fork Mountain Trail

A 4.4-mile network in South Carolina, with 488 ft of climbing. Reaches Fork Mountain. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
4.4 mi
Elevation gain
488 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Max grade
33%
Steepest mile
+345 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
0.7 mi
Shape
network
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

2,525 – 3,013 ft1234

Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 57% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 1.5. It gives back about 530 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Fork Mountain Trail

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

FORK MOUNTAIN TRAIL access — parking nearby. About 1 h 05 min drive (35 mi) from Clemson. 35.00448, -83.05482 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:11 a.m., the sun rises at 7:37 a.m. and sets at 6:58 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:24 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 22 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.4-mile route takes roughly 1 h 52 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:28 a.m. — 9 h 30 min before sunset.

Across the border

Nearby trails