CSX Grant Enhances Local Palmetto Trail Passage With New Campsite

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A grant from rail transportation company CSX has added a new campsite to the Peak to Prosperity Passage portion of the Palmetto Trail. It’s the second such site the company has contributed to the local stretch of the state-spanning walking path.

The new campsite is located near Trestle 20, about a mile from the closest parking area on Kiblers Bridge Road in Prosperity, according to a release from Palmetto Conservation, the nonprofit that oversees the Palmetto Trail.

The Peak to Prosperity Passage is one of two finished portions of the Palmetto Trail that are just outside of Lexington County. The other, the Capital City Passage, is the first urban passage on the trail, proceeding along the Broad and Congaree rivers and then proceeding through Columbia.

The new campsite brings the number of sites along the Peak to Prosperity Passage up to five.

“The primitive campsite was constructed by Palmetto Trail staff and will be maintained by the active volunteers who assist with many tasks along the Palmetto Trail, and the Peak to Prosperity Passage in particular,” reads a release from Palmetto Conservation.

“Set slightly off the trail, but within sight of it, the camping area has two campsites, each with a picnic table, fire pit ring, and the all-important flat space to pitch a tent. There are no facilities, so water must be brought in and waste carried out, in accordance with Leave No Trace principles.”

The Palmetto Trail stretches across South Carolina, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Walhalla to Awendaw along the Intracoastal Waterway, with about 380 of its eventual 500 continuous miles completed so far.

The campsite is ideal for those hiking some distance, since the Newberry area is mid-way between the coastal terminus of the Palmetto Trail and the mountain terminus in Oconee County,” the release offers. “However, the site is also great for local families in the Newberry-Chapin-Little Mountain-Columbia area who want to experience camping but don’t want to travel very far to do it.”

The Peak to Prosperity passage stretches for a little more than 10 miles.

“The Palmetto Trail is a great fit with CSX’s sustainability mission,” Mary Roe, Executive Director of the Palmetto Trail, is quoted in the release. “Rail transportation is the most fuel-efficient way to transport goods on land, and hiking is the most beneficial way to move a person. CSX is committed to engaging on issues related to sustainability and supporting sustainable developments and we are very grateful they chose to partner with us on this project.”

More information about the Palmetto Trail is available at palmettoconservation.org.

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