South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Nature
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 35 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

Kerri took James to a birthday party, so I took Andy to the Botanical Gardens. When he woke up from his nap, we grabbed the backpack and headed out. It was about 4:00pm when we got there. The skies were getting dark, so I was a little worried about rain, but we were never going to be too far from the car at any point, if it started raining. This time I parked on the end closest to the fish pond / caboose / picnic tables. If you kind of zig-zag downhill from here, there is a hard-to-see path starting from one of the picnic tables. It goes downhill to the left of the amphitheater, and comes to a set of stairs, then crosses over a bridge. From here, we took the "main" nature trail in a clockwise direction, and headed out on the wide path toward the rear parking lot. From there, we turned around and completed the loop of the "main" nature trail. Andy had a great time, yet again, and we returned to the car around 4:35pm. It was a little warm, despite the overcast skies.

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Nature
Distance: about 1 mile
Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

While Kerri went running, I took the kids hiking at the SC Botanical Gardens. Andy gets so excited to ride in the backpack. James seems to like walking on his own, but he doesn't stay "focused." He has to find a hiking stick, then check out a cool plant over there, then try to pick a flower for mommy ("no James don't do that"), then look for mushrooms, then go over to a small stump and act like he's playing a recorder (yes that really happened). But he also loves to cross the bridges, and look for waterfalls, and go see the "house" / "pyramid"...things that are actually on the trail. So, we were a little slow today, and about halfway through the hike, we stopped for a much-needed snack break. Andy was a little upset that I was taking him out of the backpack, even though it was to give him FOOD!

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Nature
Distance: about 1 mile
Time: 45 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

It was a rainy Saturday morning, but I wanted to get the boys out of the house for a little while. So I grabbed the backpack and took the kids to the SC Botanical Gardens for a quick hike. My "plan" was to let Andy ride in the backpack, and convince James that he wanted to walk. That actually worked pretty well, once we got past the initial whining. We looked for hiking sticks, then mushrooms...James just needs to have a job. There are so many little waterfalls and bridges on these trails, it makes for a good hike with small kids.

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Date: Sunday, September 20, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Nature
Distance: about 1 mile
Time: 30 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

On this Sunday afternoon, Kerri took James to see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Clemson Little Theater. When Andy woke up from his nap, I took him to the grocery store, and then to the South Carolina Botanical Gardens to attempt a hike. I say attempt, because 1) it was raining outside, and 2) I still wasn't sure how Andy would handle riding in the backpack, even though he did pretty well the last time.

We lucked out, because the rain stopped. There were only a couple of people on the trails. And it turns out Andy really likes riding in our Kelty backpack. As we passed by the wet branches, the water sometimes showered down on us...Andy thought this was great! The whole time, he was "talking" and giggling.

I can't really say what trail or series of paths we took. If you've ever been to the SCBG you'll probably understand why. They have a pretty large series of pathways and nothing is really marked. Lots of times, you're not even totally sure you're on an official trail. But I can say, we parked in the main lot near Perimeter Road, right next to the main steps where the bell is located. Then we went downhill to the left of the amphitheater, and crossed over a bridge. From there, we more-or-less made a short loop, and back up the hill to the car. Lots of fun!

Keowee-Toxaway State Park

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Natural Bridge
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 45 minutes

Rating: &&& (out of 5)

Really, for the last couple of weeks we've had great weather - sunny, cool (relatively), and dry. Today was no different. James had a birthday party to attend, so Andy and I took the backpack and went for a hike. Alas, I forgot the camera, so no pictures. But Andy had such a great time! He "talked" the whole time, which sounded mostly like "uh-oh...uh-oh...uh-oh." We met some really nice people along the way. We took the Natural Bridge loop trail in a clockwise direction, which meant we took the steepest part going downhill, and soon reached the Poe Creek. Andy was just watching the water and pointing, and he seemed very excited about the small waterfalls. Andy didn't care, but I noticed a lot of spider webs (being tall and early, I got to knock them all down) and crazy-looking mushrooms. After crossing Poe Creek, we climbed the "stairs" and crossed the natural bridge after which this trail is named. On the way back up to the parking lot, we saw several other hikers...Andy blew them all kisses, his new thing. I was sweating pretty good when we got back to the car, but at least Andy is a lot lighter than James! A great time!

Mountain View Park

Date: Monday, September 7, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Walking
Distance: 1 mile
Time: 25 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

It was Labor Day, and we had some very nice weather in Clemson. In the afternoon, after naptime, we took the short drive to Mountain View Park with the kids. They both do very well in the backpacks. A very nice 1-mile hike!

Pigpen Falls

Date: Saturday, July 26, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Foothills
Distance: 1.4 miles
Time: about 1 hour, 45 minutes

Rating: &&& (out of 5)

I read an article about this waterfall, and a friend told me he had been there and that it was a great place to take small kids. The waterfall is on Licklog Creek, very close to the Chatooga river. There is a big shallow wading pool at the base of the falls, with a sandy bottom and an open area for camping / picnicking.

Getting here is half the adventure. It is a little remote, and involves driving about 2 miles on a bumpy gravel road. There were a couple of stream crossings as well. I felt like we were in a Land Rover commerical. Various guidebooks tell you to park at the marked parking area on the right from NIcholson Ford Road. But you can get closer to the trailhead by driving to the end and parking...there is a kiosk where the trail starts.

After parking, it is just 0.7 miles to the falls, on a slight downhill. You pass through a couple of camping areas, and go over a couple of footbridges. Then you'll hear rushing water on your left, at the junction for the Chatooga Trail. Go left, and the falls are just before the footbridge over Licklog Creek.

We had a great time here, and a great picnic afterward!