Miles of Driving and Hiking - Friday - April, 8, 2011

We left the house in Murrells Inlet, SC by 6am to avoid the school traffic. This is day one of our trip to the RV-Dreams Rally in Sevierville, TN. Nancy had plotted our 250 mile trip perfectly as usual. We arrived at Table Rock State Park in Western Upstate of South Carolina just about noon.

First View of Table Rock

(Enlarge any photo by clicking on it)

Our Site #46

The campground is OK.  Not meant for large rigs and it is very sloping!  There are about 5 sites at the very beginning of the campground which can accomodate large rigs. However, the State Park is spectacular!!

One of the things we wanted to do after sitting in the car & van for six hours was to get a little exercise… Boy, did we get that!! Nancy had researched the hiking trails at the park. The first criteria was how long would it take. Our time frame was between 4 and 5 hours. Even though the hike we selected said “strenuous”, both of us felt confident we were in great shape and could handle about anything. Well, we were put to the test.

Trail Map

Nature Center - All trails start at the Nature Center

Juniper Lake, across from the Nature Center

We chose the hike to Mill Creek Falls. It was several miles long with a climb of over 2200 feet in a mile. We both were glad we had good hiking boots and poles. The temperature was a mild 70 degrees, but we were sweating profusely from the CLIMB!! Our turn around point was a beautiful waterfall. The downhill trek back was a lot easier, but still a bit treacherous.

The START of our hike...just beautiful...

Crossing the Creek...not too bad... and then....

Up, Up and Rock Steps....

Up, Up and watch the Roots...

Up, Up and Duck Under...

Up, Up and Big Rocks...

Up, Up and Waterfalls...

Up, Up and Big Tree...

Up, Up and A Cave...

Up, Up and Big Rock and Waterfall...

Up, Up and Almost There...

Up, Up and Woo Hoo...Mill Creek Falls!!

How high did we go??  Well, there is Juniper Lake!!

A little rest and nourishment before heading DOWN!!

CAREFULLY, heading back down!!

View of Table Rock from the trail.

We got back to the campground by 6:30pm. Just in time to get a shower, a glass of wine and a spaghetti dinner. I was in bed by 8:30 and according to Nancy, I was snoring away by 8:31. Yes, I was tired! Nancy didn’t get much sleep as she said her legs were still quivering from the hike. OK, I get it -- Strenuous means STRENUOUS!!!


It was a great first day of our trip and we enjoyed every minute…except for those minutes when our calves and thighs were burning and screaming at us. Nancy got some great photos…you never hurt too much to take pictures!!! Tomorrow, we are driving to River Plantation RV Resort in Sevierville, TN by way of The Great Smokey Mountain National Park. There are a couple short hikes we would like to do on the way, but we will have to wait and see what our legs are willing to do tomorrow.