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Peak to Prosperity Passage
 After years
of working through the railbanking process, Palmetto Conservation
purchased an 11-mile, 200 ft. wide right-of-way from Norfolk
Southern Railroad.
The rail trail begins on the banks of the Broad
River at Alston in Fairfield County and continues west into Newberry
County, through piedmont forest,
into the towns of Peak and Pomaria, and over 14 wooden trestles that
cross Crims Creek.
The first 6.5 miles were opened in 2009
after
two volunteers, Charles Weber and Furman Miller, cleared and decked
eight trestles. A
grant from SC PRT allowed us to deck and add handrails to the 1100
ft. long bridge over the Broad River. The view is spectacular, especially when the bald eagles soar
overhead. A PARD grant through Fairfield County provided funds
to develop a beautiful park/trailhead at Alston that provides
parking, picnicking, canoe access, and camping.
Length:
10.8 miles
Use: Hiking and Mountain Biking
Difficulty: Easy
Directions to Trailheads:
Alston: From Columbia: I-26, exit 97, take US 176 west 11
miles; turn east on SC 213; drive 3.1 miles, turn right onto Alston
Road (1st road after the bridge); road becomes unpaved,
take right fork, cross RR track and go under the trestle; parking is on the left at the top.
From Spartanburg: I-26, exit 82, take 773 to
Pomaria, east on US 176 to SC 213; turn east on 213; follow
directions above.
Hope Station: From Columbia: I-26, exit 97, take US 176 west 11.1
miles; turn right onto Hope Station Road; drive 1.3 miles to the
day-use parking area on the left.
Pomaria:
I-26, exit #85, take SC 202
east to US 176, turn left and drive into Pomaria, turning right on
Angella Street, beside Wilson's
grocery; parking is behind the kiosk.
Trail Notes:
1) This is a rail
trail so there is considerable railroad ballast on the trail.
Hiking boots are highly recommended.
2) For
the best hamburgers on the Palmetto Trail, stop in at Wilson's
Grocery, just yards from the trail in Pomaria.
3) Stop and rest
at the Jeffrey Paul Breu memorial on the western side of the Broad
River Bridge.
Click on the map below to
view a full-sized Adobe Acrobat map of the
Peak to Prosperity Passage.
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