The Blue Wall Passage stretches along the edge of the lake at Blue Wall Preserve near Landrum, with the surrounding forest and Blue Ridge Mountains creating a scenic backdrop. Photo by Melissa Rhine
You don’t have to drive hours from Spartanburg to find waterfalls, mountain views and the kind of quiet that makes you forget you were just in the city.
For this edition of Escape the Hub City: Short Journeys from Spartanburg, we’re heading north to the Blue Wall Preserve near Landrum, one of our family’s favorite close-to-home adventures. From downtown Spartanburg, plan on roughly a 35- to 45-minute drive to the Blue Wall Preserve parking area, depending on traffic. That makes it close enough for a spontaneous Saturday morning but far enough away to feel like you actually went somewhere.
Our family tries to make it here at least once a year. With kids, we usually keep things simple: walk the easier portion of the trail, explore along the way, look for mushrooms and other interesting finds, stop at the water and take in those incredible mountain views. There are creeks to investigate, plenty of woods to wander through and, if you take the waterfall route, a cascading waterfall waiting farther along.
The 575-acre Blue Wall Preserve is protected by The Nature Conservancy and sits along the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment. The Cherokee referred to the Blue Ridge Mountains as the “Blue Wall,” and once you reach the preserve’s ponds and look toward the mountains rising dramatically in the distance, the name makes perfect sense. The preserve has also been designated an Important Bird Area, with more than 100 bird species observed there.
One of the best things about Blue Wall is that you can choose your own adventure.
Families with younger children or anyone looking for a more relaxed outing can follow the Palmetto Trail into the preserve and simply turn around when little legs have had enough. The Nature Conservancy describes the Palmetto Trail portion through the preserve as an easy 2.7-mile one-way hike. About a mile from the parking area, hikers can branch onto the roughly 0.7-mile Waterfall Trail, which loops around the north side of the pond and offers a view of the waterfall before reconnecting with the Palmetto Trail.
More experienced hikers can keep going toward Vaughns Gap, where things get considerably tougher. The complete Blue Wall Passage stretches 14 miles, moving through FENCE, downtown Landrum, around Lake Lanier and into the preserve before climbing the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment. SC Trails rates miles 0-6 as easy, 6-12 as moderate and 12-14 as strenuous. The final section climbs steeply toward Vaughns Gap and connects with the Poinsett Reservoir Passage, giving serious hikers the opportunity to turn a simple morning outside into a much bigger adventure.
Blue Wall is just one piece of an even bigger South Carolina story. The Palmetto Trail began as an idea in 1989 to create a trail stretching from the mountains to the sea. Ground was broken on its first passage in 1994, and today more than 400 miles wind through 14 counties, three national forests and six state parks.
Fall may be the showstopper here — imagine those mountain and lake views surrounded by changing leaves — but there really isn’t a bad season to go. Spring brings wildflowers, summer offers a shady escape beneath the trees, and even an ordinary weekend can turn into a pretty memorable adventure.
Pack water, wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty and download your trail map before heading out. Dogs are welcome but must remain leashed, and camping, fires and bicycling are prohibited within the Blue Wall Preserve. Most importantly, stay on designated trails and pack out what you bring in.
Sometimes escaping the Hub City doesn’t require much of an escape at all. Sometimes it’s just a short drive, a pair of hiking shoes and a trail your kids will ask to come back to next year.
