Jones Gap State Park Loop

Jones Gap State Park: Pinnacle Pass/John Sloan/Rim of the Gap Loop – 2/9/19 - 7.4 Miles

For someone who thinks she is “good at” geography, I do not have a firm mental map of the relationships of state parks and other public lands that touch each other at the mountainous NC/SC border. I can wave my hand in the general direction of Jones Gap State Park, but I can’t drive you there without consulting Google maps. Hmmm...is it really just south of Dupont State Forest? And what about Holmes Educational State Forest - NC or SC? I thru-hiked the Foothills Trail from Oconee State Park to Caesars Head State Park, but the details are fuzzy. And Mountain Bridge Wilderness – what’s that all about? I must do better.

Still working on my “60 Hikes” self-challenge, my wintertime options were determined by algorithms of good weather, reasonable drive time, daylight hours, and road openings. On this day, Jones Gap State Park fit the parameters, so off I went. And of course I was surprised (again) by how easy the drive is from Charlotte.

NOTE #1: Unlike NC state parks (free), the SC state parks charge a small fee, usually cash in an envelope at the parking area (small bills, no change for your $20). Also, the mountain area state parks do not have trash receptacles, so plan to carry your sandwich wrappers and Big Gulp cups home.

NOTE #2: Trail signage is a Forrest Gump practice in Jones Gap SP. Hikers, know your trail names, numbers and blaze colors. You never know what you’re gonna see!

A bright February day, temperature in the low 40’s, a nice clockwise loop of Pinnacle Pass Trail to John Sloan Trail to Rim of the Gap Trail and back to the visitor center, looks good on paper. I’m hiking on a Saturday and expect to see lot of peeps (surprise – not a soul on my entire route. Wake up, South Carolina!)

At 10:00 a.m. I crossed the Middle Saluda River on a wide bridge and started from the 
Jones Gap Trailhead. 

A trail closure – does that affect my plan?  A quick check of my trail map says nope.

About the length of a football field, a left turn onto the Rim of the Gap Trail (#6 yellow blaze); a few minutes more, another left turn onto Pinnacle Pass Trail (#20 white blaze), and we get serious. Pinnacle Pass is steep, a bit technical, many boulders. Very dry conditions today - I can imagine what it’s like after a rain or a freeze. I’m a little (lot) nervous at the thought of an injury on a very cold solo day, making yet another pledge with myself to get a personal locator beacon.

I don’t know the name of the creek that creates this slippery slope.  This is one place to be extra super-duper careful as the trail passes close alongside.

There was a short respite as the trail goes over the shoulder of the mountain, then another very steep climb on narrow track to what I hope is the summit. A side trail to the right with a chain link handrail took me to a rock outcropping and a firstclass view to the rock cliffs on the far side of the gap and beyond.

Near the center of the ridgeline in the photo is a small white horizontal line that is Pretty Place Chapel and YMCA Camp Greenville. I once attended a lovely wedding of two hiker friends there.

I stopped for lunch at an innocuous spot along the ridgeline trail, just me and my cheese and crackers in the stillness of the day. 

When you’re sitting near the ground you see things in a different way

White blazes were abundant on Pinnacle Pass Trail, never out of sight. I was the only sound, boots kicking up rustling leaves, no breeze.

The trail passed over a second bump (maybe that was Little Pinnacle?) and a third bump, then through a few hundred yards of mountain laurel tunnel before opening to a wide road bed.

What’s this all over the ground?

Some critter ripped big holes in the tree 20 feet high

I paused at the 6-20 Connector Trail (#22 purple blaze), interesting that the sign is chained to the tree (to prevent it from becoming a souvenir?).  I considered shortcutting over to Rim of the Gap Trail here, but continued on, fingers crossed that the next intersection would be as easy to identify (it wasn’t.)

                                                                                                                                                      

P1 campsite, looks like bring-your-own-water

I arrived at a wide clear space that looked like a trail Junction, but no signage.  I puzzled for a moment, turned 360 degrees and saw a small pink blaze on a tree on my right.  About 40 feet past it was a tiny trail sign for the John Sloan Trail connector (#21 pink blaze).  I could not have seen it from the intersection.  

No need to be annoyed – the John Sloan Trail was a beauty, 1.2 miles of easy-peasy. At the next junction, a right turn put me on the ROTG Trail that parallels Pinnacle Pass Trail at lower elevation and I hiked 2.5 miles back to the VC to complete my loop. I was quite surprised to see the poor condition of this trail, until I considered that winter always takes its toll and maintenance cannot happen everywhere at once.

Altogether the loop took me 4.5 hours, longer than normal but factoring in the rock scrambling and valley viewpoint and lunch and plain ol’ lollygagging on a solitary day.  I will visit again in another season (not summer) to compare.

Another great report of this loop hike here.

“As you sit on the hillside, or lie prone under the trees of the forest, or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream, the great door, that does not look like a door, opens.”  ~Stephen Graham