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Hike the Tamassee Knob Trail

Marie McAden Marie McAden
A former staffer with The Miami Herald, Marie moved to SC in 1992. She is passionate about the outdoors, and enjoys exploring the state’s many natural treasures from the Lowcountry to the Upstate.
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View from the Tamassee Knob Trail.
The Tamassee Knob Trail is one of several trails you can hike in Oconee State Park.

The trail to the top runs through a beautiful old growth hardwood forest. Walking along the ridge, it's easy to see why these magnificent trees were left untouched for more than two centuries. The steep slopes that fall off both sides of the ridge would be treacherous terrain for a logger to traverse.

Access to this scenic trail is from Oconee State Park. From the parking lot, you'll walk about a mile on the Foothills Access Trail, past the Oconee Passage of the Palmetto Trail to the junction with the Tamassee (pronounced TAM-ass-ee, as in Tennessee) Knob Trail.

At this point, you're only about 100 feet below the summit. But don't be fooled. It's a strenuous hike to the top as you drop into a number of low gaps and hike back up to the ridges leading to the peak. For your effort, you'll be treated to magnificent views in every direction.

It's a beautiful hike through the woods to reach Tamassee Knob.

About a half-mile from the trailhead, you'll enter the southern cove hardwood forest ecosystem. Along the way, you'll be shaded by dogwood, black oak, chestnut, hemlock, black locust and redbud trees.

There's plenty of room to walk along the narrow ridges, but in some areas, the ground falls off sharply on both sides. When you reach the rock ledge, you'll want to sit back and take in the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains rising up in the distance. It's a view that always lifts my spirits.

Marie McAden
A former staffer with The Miami Herald, Marie moved to SC in 1992. She is passionate about the outdoors, and enjoys exploring the state’s many natural treasures from the Lowcountry to the Upstate.