Sulphur Springs Trail (Paris Mountain State Park) Hiking Guide
Sulphur Springs is the longest loop at Paris Mountain State Park, the CCC-built park on a monadnock just north of downtown Greenville. The white-blazed trail climbs onto a ridge, drops through ravines with streams, mountain laurel and rhododendron, and finishes past the dam at Mountain Lake. It is the Greenville hiker's after-work or Sunday-morning workout, close enough to skip the drive to the mountains.
Permit: Paris Mountain State Park admission: $6 per adult, $3.75 per SC senior 65 or older, $3.50 per child 6-15, free for children 5 and younger. No trail permit or reservation is needed for day hiking.
Loop Length and Effort
The park lists the loop at 3.8 miles, about two and a half hours, and rates it strenuous: narrow, steep, rocky and rugged. AllTrails measures 4.1 miles with 675 feet of gain and calls it moderate, noting that the first mile holds most of the climbing and the rest is relatively easy. Paris Mountain's brochure lists it as a two to two and a half hour loop.
Which Way Around
The park starts the loop at Picnic Area 6, and you can go either way. Going across the park road from the trail sign, you roll over wooded slopes to the Buckhorn Gate parking area, keep right at the kiosk, climb another steep slope and bear left where Brissy Ridge splits off. From there the trail follows a pine and hardwood ridge, passes the Old Firetower Trail on the left and then dips in and out of stream ravines before leveling out at Mountain Lake. Several branches below the dam lead back to where you started.
Admission and Hours
The park is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and admission is charged per person at the gate ($6 for adults, with reduced prices for South Carolina seniors and kids). No reservation is needed to hike. The trailhead is popular, so AllTrails suggests starting early.
Bikes, Dogs and Wildlife
Most Paris Mountain trails are shared by hikers and mountain bikers, and bikes are allowed every day except Saturday. The park lists Sulphur Springs as a hiking trail, though riders can use the section from the Mountain Creek Trail to Mountain Lake. Leashed dogs are welcome, on six feet of lead or less. The park says its snakes are mostly non-venomous, but one AllTrails reviewer reported a small copperhead near the Brissy Ridge trailhead, so watch where you step and reach.
Current Trail Status
The park lists every trail as open except the Fire Tower Little Spur Trail, which is not on this loop. Its trail page still thanks visitors for their patience during hurricane cleanup, and you will see Helene's downed trees cut back along the path. Check the park's trail page before going after storms.
Hiking tips for Sulphur Springs Trail (Paris Mountain State Park)
- Start at Picnic Area 6; the park says the loop works in either direction.
- Hike on a Saturday if you'd rather not share the shared-use sections with bikes.
- Wear real trail shoes; the park calls the tread rocky and rugged.
- Budget the park's two and a half hours rather than AllTrails' faster estimate if your group is new to rocky tread.
- Add the 3/4-mile walk to Mountain Lake on its own if the group wants something shorter.
Nearby trails to explore
- Brissy Ridge Loop (Paris Mountain State Park)
- Jones Gap Trail to Jones Gap Falls
- Rainbow Falls Trail (Jones Gap)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Sulphur Springs is close enough for a weekday group hike from Greenville. Use TrailMates to find people for a loop at Paris Mountain, pick the start time in the event's group chat, and meet at Picnic Area 6. Get TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.