Outdoor Expert Finds “Paradise” In South Carolina’s Upstate

GREENVILLE, SC — With a terrain as vibrant and diverse as any in the region, the Upstate of South Carolina is home to a dense network of trails, spanning from metropolitan and suburban areas to mountainous terrain and back again.

Menasha Ridge Press, leading outdoor adventure and travel publisher since 1982, added to its catalogue this month Five-Star Trails: South Carolina Upstate, by outdoor expert and Simpsonville resident Sherry Jackson. A hiking enthusiast since youth, Jackson’s seasoned passion for travel and the outdoors provides vivid hike descriptions, insights into local history, flora, and fauna, and concise, accurate descriptions for 30 of the regions best trails.

From its mountains and lakes to its waterfalls and trails, the Upstate is an outdoor lover’s paradise.

Growing up in Arizona, Jackson spent her youth hiking destinations like the Superstition Mountains, Usery Pass, and the Grand Canyon. But when she discovered Upstate SC, she knew she’d found a special place. “When I first moved to the Upstate, I was amazed that it was so green,” she explains in the preface to her new guide. “From its mountains and lakes to its waterfalls and trails, the Upstate is an outdoor lover’s paradise.”

Jackson’s book — the first hiking guide in print devoted solely to hikes in the Upstate, which encompasses Anderson, Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Cherokee counties — includes routes for all ages, skill levels, and abilities to travel, reflecting the rich tapestry of the region’s landscape and history. Most notably nestled against the Blue Ridge Mountains, the terrain is not only beautiful but also historically relevant, home to several Revolutionary War sites.

A one-stop shop, the guide offers hikers a chance to enjoy terrain as breathtaking as the lakes, rivers, and waterfalls in the Mountain Lakes region, as leisurely as a stroll through Greenville or Travelers Rest, and as historically rich as a hike through Cowpens and Kings Mountain.

“As a travel writer, I frequently explore the South and beyond,” Jackson says, “but I am so amazed every day by the Upstate’s beauty and natural resources that it was really hard to narrow the list of hikes to 30. I decided to stay focused on variety.”

To that end, readers will find detailed directions to trailheads, along with navigational coordinates and GPS-based maps and elevation profiles for each hike. The guide also includes its title five-star rating system, ranking each route by scenery, difficulty, trail condition, solitude, and accessibility for children.

Five-Star Trails: South Carolina Upstate is now available in stores and online.

About the Author

Sherry Jackson’s love of travel came at a young age. Her family would load up the car on the weekend, pick a destination, and set off to explore. She has traversed through jungles, snorkeled the Caribbean, and wandered the streets of Paris, always searching for her next adventure. Her articles have been featured in a variety of outlets, including USA Today, Blue Ridge Country, Foothills Spotlight Magazine, Jetsetter, Bootsnall, and The Simpsonsville Sentinel, among others. Sherry is a member of the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association and the North American Travel Journalists Association. She is currently on staff writing locally for the Greenville Journal.