South Carolina trails · Sulphur Springs Trail

Sulphur Springs Trail

A 4.0-mile loop in South Carolina, with 557 ft of climbing. Reaches Mountain Lake.

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Length

4.0 mi

Elevation gain

557 ft

Difficulty

Moderate

Max grade

33%

Steepest mile

+497 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

0.6 mi

Shape

loop

Surface

Dirt

Bikes

yes

Elevation profile

Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 78% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 1.3. It gives back about 573 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Mountain Lake (lake)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:35 a.m., the sun rises at 7:01 a.m. and sets at 7:57 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:23 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 57 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.0-mile route takes roughly 1 h 44 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:45 a.m. — 11 h 12 min before sunset.

Loop options

Sulphur Springs Trail + Brissy Ridge Trail + Pipsissewa Trail — 7.0 mi loop, 1,468 ft gain
Sulphur Springs Trail — 4.0 mi loop, 711 ft gain
Sulphur Springs Trail + Firetower Trail + Kanuga Trail — 2.8 mi loop, 379 ft gain