South Carolina, North Carolina · Trail 322

Fork Mountain Trail

Fork Mountain Trail is a 4.9 miles trail in Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, South Carolina and North Carolina. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2, moderately developed. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Ellicott Rock Wilderness.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end35.0045, -83.0548 · Directions ↗
Other end35.0051, -83.0926 · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 3 segments.

The trail

Length4.9 miles
Trail class2, moderately developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers322
ForestFrancis Marion and Sumter National Forests (unit 0812)
StatesSouth Carolina, North Carolina
Detail publishedbasic characteristics

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Fork Mountain Trail30°40°50°60°70°January: 8.08 inches of precipitation, 1.4 inches of snowFebruary: 6.24 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowMarch: 7.30 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowApril: 6.66 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 6.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 7.78 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 7.09 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 8.87 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 7.64 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 6.40 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 7.05 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 7.68 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.0°F averageFebruary: 39.6°F averageMarch: 44.9°F averageApril: 52.7°F averageMay: 59.7°F averageJune: 66.6°F averageJuly: 69.8°F averageAugust: 69.3°F averageSeptember: 63.7°F averageOctober: 54.0°F averageNovember: 45.5°F averageDecember: 39.1°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Jocassee 8 WNW, 1 mile from the trail midpoint at 2,540 feet, station USC00384581 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 87 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 4 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Wilderness

Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Fork Mountain Trail?

4.9 miles, the sum of the 3 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Fork Mountain Trail?

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.

Source: Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests official page

Where does the Fork Mountain Trail start?

The line begins at 35.0045, -83.0548 and ends at 35.0051, -83.0926. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Fork Mountain Trail in a wilderness area?

Yes. It enters Ellicott Rock Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.

Source: Ellicott Rock Wilderness Wilderness

Where can I camp near the Fork Mountain Trail?

Burrells Ford (2.5 mi) and Cherry Hill Campground (4.1 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests official page

How developed is the Fork Mountain Trail?

Trail class 2, which the Forest Service describes as moderately developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Fork Mountain Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Fork Mountain Trail?

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, Forest Service unit 0812. The trail is in South Carolina and North Carolina.

Source: Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests official page

Source

This page is built from 3 segments named FORK MOUNTAIN TRAIL in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0812. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.