Pickens County: Discover Nature, Trails, and Museums
Accommodation in Pickens County
Pickens County combines diverse trails, distinctive landscapes, and museums with a strong Appalachian heritage. Those looking for a vacation rental or holiday home can plan their trip around their own interests: active days on a bike, hikes with views of waterfalls, nature gardens, or discoveries of cultural history.
Cycling on Historic and Modern Trails
The Doodle Trail is a 7.5-mile multi-use trail. It is open from sunrise to sunset for cycling, walking, running, and rollerblading. The history of the trail is particularly evident from its route: the Doodle Trail follows the path of a historic railroad that transported goods between Easley and Pickens. This makes it possible to combine physical activity with an insight into the former use of the connection.
Another destination for cycling is Town Creek Bike Park. The free public facility for off-road cycling covers nearly 100 acres. The park also includes the Appalachian Lumber Greenway, an 8-foot-wide, paved, low-barrier multi-use trail. Depending on the type of day you want, you can choose between more athletic riding and a quieter trail option.
Nature Experiences Among Forests, Water, and Views
Mile Creek Park offers a completed 3-mile loop trail. Along the way, visitors can enjoy views of Lake Keowee; campers and day visitors can also experience the scenic forest. At Long Shoals Wayside Park, special nature experiences include a natural water slide and trout fishing on Little Eastatoe Creek.
Several notable trails are available for hikes with different focuses. Carrick Creek Trail is a 2-mile loop with numerous views of cascading waterfalls. The 3.6-mile Table Rock Trail is a very rugged hiking trail in Table Rock State Park. At Sassafras Mountain, the Peak Trail is about one-third of a mile long and already met the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Sassafras Mountain Tower has a ramp on its west side for people with limited mobility. Sassafras Mountain Overlook serves as a parking area for the Foothills Trail and is part of the Jocassee Gorges along the border with North Carolina.
Gardens, Geology, and Regional History
The Natural Heritage Garden at the South Carolina Botanical Garden showcases South Carolina habitats, including longleaf pine savannas, shell rings, Piedmont granite outcrops, carnivorous plants, and the gorges of the Jocassee Gorges. In the same garden, the Nature-Based Sculpture Program recalls the late 1990s and early 2000s: at that time, 16 artworks were created from natural materials and living plants.
The Pickens County Museum of Art & History is housed in the former county jail and displays local historical artifacts. It is open Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Two art exhibitions are held there each year; in between, rotating exhibitions by local artists are shown. The Bob Campbell Geology Museum complements the cultural focus with more than 10,000 minerals, rocks, and fossils. It also displays one of the largest collections of faceted gemstones in the southeastern United States, as well as the largest exhibition of fluorescent minerals in the region. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on official Clemson University holidays, and admission is free.
The Right Accommodation for Your Travel Plans
A vacation rental in Pickens County can be a good base if you want to divide your days flexibly between nature, cycling, and culture. For a more relaxed itinerary, the trails and viewpoints can take center stage; with a varied program, museums, gardens, and geology offer an additional cultural dimension. The key factor is therefore less a single type of vacation than which destinations you want to combine.
For more ideas of places to visit, you can also discover Easley and Clemson.
For the higher-level travel overview: South Carolina.
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