FATS in South Carolina
Posted Mar13-11 at 05:23 PM by Q_Goest
Here’s another hiking area I checked out while out while away on business, this time in South Carolina called the “Forks Area Trail System” or FATS for short. Sounded like a pretty cool spot so I had to see what made it unique. Actually, it wasn’t so special. But it was a quiet and refreshing 7 mile hike through a small area with a very dense trail system.
The trails are mostly flat, being suitable for bikes as well which are allowed in all areas of the trail system. As I walked along, I came across 3 bicyclists and about as many hikers, so don’t feel like you can’t hike here. There are lots of folks that do.
There’s not much to see here. The area isn’t even very hilly, pretty much flat. And the trees are thick so you can’t see far. Being as flat as it is makes it an easy bike riding area though, and the trails are relatively smooth; the rocks and tree roots are almost nonexistent. And being as flat as it is, the walking is relatively easy.
One thing I really didn’t like is that the trails weren’t marked very well. There were no colored markers or markers of any sort to tell you what trail you’re on or even if you’re on a trail at all. But the trails are worn enough that it’s hard (usually) to miss them. There are signs at intersections but they aren’t very descriptive. They’d have an arrow for example, pointing down one trail with the name of a trail but what they were really trying to get at was the trail named on the sign was actually many miles down this particular trail – the trail itself was a different one! I got a bit lost but figured out where I was from the various landmarks after hiking about 4 miles. So if you go, bring the map and make sure you know where you’re starting out at and leave bread crumbs.
The trails are mostly flat, being suitable for bikes as well which are allowed in all areas of the trail system. As I walked along, I came across 3 bicyclists and about as many hikers, so don’t feel like you can’t hike here. There are lots of folks that do.
There’s not much to see here. The area isn’t even very hilly, pretty much flat. And the trees are thick so you can’t see far. Being as flat as it is makes it an easy bike riding area though, and the trails are relatively smooth; the rocks and tree roots are almost nonexistent. And being as flat as it is, the walking is relatively easy.
One thing I really didn’t like is that the trails weren’t marked very well. There were no colored markers or markers of any sort to tell you what trail you’re on or even if you’re on a trail at all. But the trails are worn enough that it’s hard (usually) to miss them. There are signs at intersections but they aren’t very descriptive. They’d have an arrow for example, pointing down one trail with the name of a trail but what they were really trying to get at was the trail named on the sign was actually many miles down this particular trail – the trail itself was a different one! I got a bit lost but figured out where I was from the various landmarks after hiking about 4 miles. So if you go, bring the map and make sure you know where you’re starting out at and leave bread crumbs.
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Looks like a nice place - skinny trees, though
!Posted Mar22-11 at 08:27 PM by lisab 
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Yea - you're right... FATS has skinny trees. How weird!Posted Mar26-11 at 10:33 AM by Q_Goest
