GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT) and the Palmetto Trail hosted a ribbon-cutting on Friday for the newest section of the trail, the Henry Passage.
The new passage is a 1.5 mile trail with an around 800-foot elevation change. The parking lot for the trailhead is on Gap Creek Road in Marietta. Access to the trail is free.
Hikers will pass through various forest ecosystems. Locally harvested rocks and locust logs were used to build steps at steeper sections.
Duane Parrish, SCPRT director, said, “We are grateful to the Palmetto Trail and The Nature Conservancy for making the Henry Passage possible. The mission of stewardship and service that defines South Carolina State Parks is strengthened by partners who share our vision of not only protecting our state’s natural resources and landscapes but also ensuring they are accessible to residents and visitors for generations to come.”
The trail is named in honor of Henry Simpson, a native of Greenville and founder of Belk Simpson stores who bought the land in 1950 in order to preserve it…