FHT#1: An introduction to the Foothills Trail

[Gambit McCrae]

This past weekend my very best buddy and I took on 48 miles of the Foothills Trail from Whitewater Falls Rd to Table Rock State Park.
What a trail!!! Totally blown away at the amount of work that has been put into this footpath.

• Bridges: I am not exaggerating that in 48 miles we crossed 100+ bridges...from Small "4 board" to 100' long suspension bridges.
• Campsites: They are very nice and spaced out about 4-8 miles from one another. All look like they could facilitate a boy scout troop and many have accommodations like benches, metal fire rings and tables.
  
  • Night 1: Line Rock Gap Dry Campsite - Had water, space for 2 tents
  • Night 2: "Last campsite on the lake" campsite - Best site we stayed at, has all the amenities listed above
  • Night 3: The Big Rock Campsite was not a favorite. Slanty tent sites and right next to road.

• Water: It is literally everywhere. I never carried more than a liter and could have squeaked by with 1/2 liter if I challenged myself. Carrying 1 liter was of no challenge, seemed like we crossed water almost every mile at least once if not many times.
• Crowds: Day 1 we saw 2 groups of 10+ which gave us PTSD for the rest of the trip that any minute a huge group would come swarm out campsite but we probably only saw 4 groups of less than 4 each for the rest of the trip and did not have to share any camp sites.

I practiced not filtering my water for the first time on this hike. The only other time I have ever not filtered my water was the last natural water source on the AT, close to the top of Katahdin. Water was just bubbling up out of the ground so I drank it then and when my new filter was deemed defective on the FHT I went the whole weekend without filtering.

#1 thing to know if planning a Foothills Trail Hike? If you are parking at a State Park you will need to register both your vehicle as well as your hike with the state parks you are parking a car in. I found out about this on my way to the trail head and had to make last minute after hours arrangements with the park to be legal in their eyes. If you are used to just parking and walking for your trips like one can do on the AT, the requirements will feel micro managing to you however once you see what the average experience level is on this trail(I give it a beginner rating by 99% of who we saw) you will understand why they want everyone documented, their itineraries laid out and basically confirming you have actually planned for your hike. With me getting their after closing, and working with the Table Rock SP ranger he was asking me lots of detailed questions... I said, does it help any that I am an AT2000 miler? When I told him that he kind of just pencil whipped the rest of it and sent me on my way. Parking in the SP's is 6 bucks a day per car.

That's about all I have to share about this adventure, I would suggest this trail for anyone. It has some good climbs similar to the AT in grade, but not in length. Happy trails and see ya after the CDT first of May

[fudgefoot]

Hey Gambit - I must have just missed you! I finished a west to east thru of the Foothills trail on Monday 4/8 - right during the height of the eclipse (but it was only 85% down there).

I echo your comments on the trail. I don't have enough superlatives to describe it. Waterfalls every day (including 411' Upper Whitewater - the most beautiful I have ever seen), soft rock-free surface, abundant crystal-clear water, good campsites and incredible views at the eastern end. I would characterize it as moderately difficult. There is quite a bit of climb and some sections are fairly remote (a 30 mile stretch with no road crossings). We passed the 2 large groups the final day - glad we didn't have to compete for campsites with them. These trails are not designed to handle groups of that size. There are shuttle providers to take you from one end to the other. I highly recommend Taz.

I did roughly 13 miles each day which was a perfect, fairly relaxed pace. My itinerary:

Simms Field camp site
East Fork camp site
Glenn Hilliard camp site
Rock Creek camp site
Chimneytop Gap camp site

[Slugg]

That’s interesting they actually wanted to know your itinerary. When I thru hiked in 2021 we told the ranger the date we planned on finishing and they hardly looked up at me to make eye contact.

[Gambit McCrae]

That’s interesting they actually wanted to know your itinerary. When I thru hiked in 2021 we told the ranger the date we planned on finishing and they hardly looked up at me to make eye contact.

Well to clarify they didn't want a day to day plan. They just wanted to know where I was getting on the trail at if outside the Table Rock SP. its a real great trail tho

[Slugg]

Well to clarify they didn't want a day to day plan. They just wanted to know where I was getting on the trail at if outside the Table Rock SP. its a real great trail tho

Ah, that makes sense. Glad you had a good trip!