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South Carolina trails · Lake Whelchel Trail

Lake Whelchel Trail

A 6.5-mile loop in South Carolina, with 53 ft of climbing. Reaches Lake Whelchel.

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Length
6.5 mi
Elevation gain
53 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Max grade
10%
Steepest mile
+53 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
0.0 mi
Shape
loop
Surface
Ground
Bikes
yes
Horses
no

Elevation profile

677 – 729 ft123456

Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 6.5 miles.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Lake Whelchel Trail

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

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Lake Whelchel Trail access. About 37 min drive (23 mi) from Spartanburg. 35.10451, -81.63634 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:06 a.m., the sun rises at 7:31 a.m. and sets at 6:53 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:18 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 22 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 6.5-mile route takes roughly 2 h 25 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:56 a.m. — 8 h 56 min before sunset.

Loop options

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