Dogs Leashed
Features
Birding · River/Creek · Views · Wildlife
Parking passes required ($5/day, $25/year) and can be obtained at fee boxes located in each parking area with cash or purchased
online. Gate open Monday - Friday: 9 am - 4:30 pm; Saturday - Sunday: 9 am - 6:30 pm.
Overview
The trails at Harbison can be tricky to navigate with interspersed signage and trail markings. This loop links a handful of the best trails into a complete loop for a solid day hike option.
As all trails at Harbison can be traveled in either direction, this track can be adapted to accommodate groups of varying abilities or time constraints (e.g. skip the
Midlands Mountain Trail and take the
Eagle Trail back to the parking lot for a ~5-mile hike).
Need to Know
Open to mountain bikes, closed to horses.
Description
This longer loop is a great way to experience the highlights of Harbison State Forest for first-time visitors or an easy way to almost double the mileage of the popular
Firebreak Trail loop.
From Broad River Road (176), look for the Harbison State Forest sign and head north on the forest road, passing the initial parking area and restroom. Follow signs for the State Forest/Education Center entrance onto the gravel roadway through the gate. Continuing toward the
Eagle Trail.
From the parking area, head west on the
Firebreak Trail to the
Firebreak Connector Trail and turn right (north) on this winding, gradual descent to warm up. Stay on the
Firebreak Connector Trail until the
Stewardship Trail and turn left to continue north across the
Service Road.
Follow the
Stewardship Trail along the western boundary of the forest through the dense trees passing nearby to some private residences off Lost Creek Dr to the west. Please respect the private property and stay on the marked trail. The trail curves to the right (east) near the northern boundary of the forest, heading toward the Broad River, with a viewpoint around 3.15 miles.
Stay on the
Stewardship Trail until the 4-mile mark, looking for a lefthand turn onto the
Stewardship Connector toward the
Eagle Trail and
Midlands Mountain Trail. To cut this loop short, take the
Eagle Trail back to the starting point/parking area. To continue on this loop, head east onto the
Midlands Mountain Trail, taking the loop in the clockwise direction, staying straight at the first intersection to head toward the river.
This loop, as with most of the trails at Harbison, is popular with mountain bikers, especially the
Midlands Mountain Trail Bypass.
The Bluff Trail also provides an additional short loop in the southeast corner for more exploration. At the 6.6-mile mark, the
Midlands Mountain Trail joins the
Firebreak Trail. Turn right (north) for the final 1.5 miles on the
Firebreak Trail loop, crossing the service road and passing the
Eagle Trail back to the starting point.
Contacts
Shared By:
Zander Göpfert
0 Comments