Palmetto Trail Poinsett Reservoir Passage 4K

Our eighth hike of the year ... March 24, 2024
We headed up to Saluda, NC area to hike another section of the Palmetto Trail - the Poinsett Reservoir Passage. We parked in the SMALL parking area at the entrance to the Orchard Lake campground - there's a couple of signs in the parking area including a map of the passage. Out of the parking area you take a left and a quick right to go through the campground to reach the trail.
The trail begins at the dumpsters where the trail turns right. Shortly after there's another turn across a small wooden bridge (be careful on this ... there's a rip in the wire and if you're wearing open toed shoes you could catch your foot and potentially end up with a nasty cut - closed toed shoes still a small tripping risk). After a short ways you come out to the road ... where you take a left and follow it for about 3/8ths of a mile where the trail is on the right side of the road. From here you enter the trees ... where there was a good bit of southern groundcedar providing ground cover. The first two miles fo the trail was easy rolling terrain and seemed to be pretty well used. You also pass a couple of state boundary markers. But past the 3 mile mark ... the leaf depth on the trail got deeper (it seems most people get to that first climb and turn around). We continued on .. enjoying the ridgeline views and seeing our destination through the trees - Vaughn's Gap. There were a few trees to climb over but nothing unmanageable. We also got to see some early wildflowers ... bloodroot, star chickweed, several violets (both yellow and purple ones) along the way (mainly in the gaps). Around the 4 mile mark the trail got a bit narrower around a rock cliff but again nothing too concerning. At 4.9 miles we started our road walk along the Hogback Mountain Rd which is almost 2 miles long ... this part was very exposed to the sun but had some great views on both sides of the road. Finally, at 6.7 miles we reach Vaugn's Gap - where we took a nice break to enjoy the view, the breeze, and some snacks! There was also a lot of chickweed and trilliums here.
After the break ... we made the climb back up the road and down to where the trail re-entered the woods and retracing our steps. Another thing 'II note .. most of this trail is on Greenville's watershed property … so at the sign by Hogback Road they have a bunch of rules that weren't at the main trailhead-one being pack out you're waste (garbage obviously but also the human/pet kind too). They also had a rule about not hiking alone - good thing I had Sally with me. Anyway, the return trip went smoothly but I was trying to move a bit faster since I'd gotten a late start and didn't want to be dark getting off the trail. On our way back, we saw a couple of wild turkeys. And about a ½ mile or so from the car ... there was some fresh bear scat next to the trail that hadn't been there on our way up. We made it back to our car feeling grateful to have gotten to spend a day in the woods!
Things to note ... the parking area is small - but it doesn't seem to be a popular trail though. It's a bit confusing about how to get to the start of the trail and at the first short road walk - I was double checking because honestly I wasn't expecting it. You do criss cross state lines - you'll see the boundary markers if you pay attention. Also, as I mentioned this is also watershed property - so pack out everything. The trail itself I would rate as moderate ... nothing was too technical other than climbing over a few dead trees. It's also dog friendly. This would be a great trail if you're seeking some alone time - we didn't see another hiker all day! Honestly, other than a bike rider on Hogback Mountain - we didn't see anyone the entire time. After seeing the bear scat ... I'd recommend if you like wearing earbuds while hiking - leave one out so you can be aware of your surroundings. The road walk on Hogback Mountain Rd was very sunny and exposed. And don't go picking wildflowers …. just enjoy them as they are. Also … the trail isn’t shown on Gaia or AllTrails - use Avenza it’s the Poinsett Reservoir passage. I’m trying to add it to AllTrails - it’s pending approval. But if anyone needs the gpx file - just let me know.