Lick Fork Recreation Area (Horn Creek Trail)

Edgefield County, SC

GPS Coordinates: 33.72642, -82.04029

Sumter National Forest; Long Cane Ranger District

Saturday, March 23, 2024, 10:30 AM to ~4:30 PM

Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area is often described as one of the lesser known “jewels of the forest” and is considered one of the top wildflower areas near Edgefield, SC.  There are two hiking trails to choose from.  The Lick Fork Lake Hiking Trail is an easy two-mile loop surrounding the lake that provides scenic views of piedmont pines and hardwoods. The Horn Creek Trail is a moderate 5.7-mile loop trail that journeys away from the recreation area and allows hikers to explore more of the forest and streams.  The Horn Creek Trail features lush vegetation, good water flow along the creeks, and wildflowers in bloom. The trail passes through hardwood bottoms, across streams and along pine ridges offering views of a wide variety of wildlife habitats and distinctive piedmont vegetation.  The pine ridges are covered with mature pine trees and bluestem grasses and there is an active red-cockaded woodpecker colony that the trail passes through. Hardwood forest communities along Lick Fork Creek and Horn Creek include beech forest, mesic oak-hickory forests, and hardwood bottoms.  The hardwood bottoms and associated steep slopes are primarily mature forest characterized by high wildflower diversity and abundant bird life. Lick Fork Creek is a small stream with primarily bedrock substrate that could contain interesting fish species such as the Christmas darter and/or amphibians such as dusky salamanders. Therefore, this might be a good site for a dip net.  Horn Creek, on the other hand, is a rather large piedmont stream that has mostly a sand substrate and extensive beaver-related hydrologic modifications with abundant sycamore and river birch as well as shoreline grasses. It is an excellent area for odonates.

The Horn Creek Trail is the preferred trail in that it provides a greater diversity of habitats.  However, it is long and takes many hours to complete.  Not really a problem because there is a remote parking area about halfway down the loop that provides for a 3-mile hike instead of a 6-mile hike.  This can be accomplished by using a carpool system.  We can organize carpool connections when we meet in the morning.  If you are interested in camping, there are 9 campsites on a first come, first serve basis in the recreation area.  I recommend arriving early on Friday to ensure a campsite.  The campsites are nice for car camping, but not awesome.  If for some reason you arrive expecting a campsite and there is not one available, there are some hotel options nearby and other camping options near McCormick.

There are other recreation opportunities in the area for wildlife and plant viewing including the Turkey Wine Creek Trail and the Stephen’s Creek HP.  If you would like a mountain bike adventure, you could check out the 12-mile Turkey Wine Creek Trail or the 25 Mile Forks Area Trail.  Also, you can canoe the flat water of Turkey Creek or visit Edgefield, home of 10 South Carolina governors.  Remember, if you plan to extend your trip to two or more days, you can camp at the recreation site or find accommodation in Edgefield such as Quality Inn & Suites or The Edgefield Inn.

DIRECTIONS:

From the square in downtown Edgefield, travel south on Hwy. 23 for 8.3 miles. Bear left onto Hwy. 230 and travel for 0.4 miles. Turn left onto Lick Fork Lake Road (S 19-263) and travel 1.9 miles. The entrance is on the right.  We’ll meet in the Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area at the parking lot near the boat ramp. There is a small use fee of $3 per day per vehicle, and a $7 campsite per night (pay at a self-serve fee station at entrance). A new vault toilet is available in the campground. Water is also available. For more information and a printable map on the recreation site, go to fseprd499617.pdf (usda.gov).