Biking the Palmetto Trail

Last fall, after years of talking about doing it and a well-timed Black Friday sale, Patrick and I finally left Outspokin' Bicycles with a pair of Trek mountain bikes. We've slowly been getting out around town to explore the different trails, adapting as we go along for what I can and can't tackle while pregnant.



We really loved the Firebreak Trail at Harbison State Forest, but that was the first trail to get cut from the list this spring. There are plenty of hills, some technical challenge to it, and it's a lot of fun to ride.

Nearby, we have the Timmerman Trail. Completely paved and pretty flat, this is an easy bike ride after work {when it's not miserably hot outside} but is often crowded with people walking their dogs and families with small kids who have no sense of balance on a bike.

Our current favorite? The Palmetto Trail Peak to Prosperity Passage.



I had the chance to explore this trail pretty well back in April when the girls I work with and I completed the True to the Brew Trail Run. We explored about 6.5 miles of this 10 mile passage and I loved it. I had plenty of time to take in the scenery since I was walking it rather than running it, and have been dreaming of biking it ever since.



Patrick and I finally had the time to get out there earlier this summer and again this past weekend and y'all, it's my favorite way to spend a Saturday morning now!



Plug in the address for the Peak Post Office {10 River Street in Peak, SC} into your GPS and get on the road. There's an entrance to the trail in the middle of "downtown" Peak {I'm not even sure this qualifies as a downtown area, but it's the middle of Peak so we'll go with it}. You'll park along the side of the road right across from the post office and the trail access is right there at the corner of River and Mulberry.

Bike {or walk!} down the wooden ramp to the trail. If you head to the right on the trail, you've got about half a mile of trail to explore. There's a gorgeous train trestle that spans the Broad River that is hands down the best part of this portion of the trail. We like to save this part for the end as a reward for getting in the miles on the other portion of the trail.



Head to the left, and you'll have plenty of miles to explore by foot or by bike. It's a very flat, easy to navigate trail. To me, it feels like you go ever-so-slightly uphill while biking out along the trail... and ever-so-slightly uphill while you're coming back. Not suite sure how that works. Either way, you get in a really good leg workout on this trail via bike because there is never a time that you're not pedaling.



You'll cross over a few wooden bridges that have some scenic views and you might pass a few people along the trail. It's not super crowded on this trail early in the mornings. This past weekend, we ran into more spider webs than we did people {they were everywhere!}. We biked about 3.25 miles up the trail before reaching Hope Station Road and turning back around.



If you've never explored any portion of the Palmetto Trail, I highly recommend it! The Palmetto Trail is a planned 500 mile long foot and mountain biking trail that runs from the upstate of South Carolina down to the low country. It isn't 100% complete yet - they have about 350 miles complete and 150 more to go in their "Finish the Trail" campaign. Get out and enjoy it!