Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve Trail is a 2.4 mile out and back trail located near Kershaw, South Carolina that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and birding and is best used from September until May. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
kid friendly
birding
hiking
walking
cave
forest
views
waterfall
wild flowers
a nice hike, beaver pond, waterfall,a cave and a huge rock !! This moderately strenuous, out and back trail provides a unique break from the normal terrain of South Carolina. Starting from the lower trailhead, you will wind through a sandy, high grass, but well marked section that is very easy to follow. You will pass through a thick forest, where you may see many different types of animals, such as Prairie warblers, indigo buntings, red-tailed hawks, vireos, cottontail rabbits, and deer. Continuing along flat creek, you will come to a beaver pond, which is small, but full of water lilies and very colorful during the summer months. You will pass a small waterfall as you make the moderate climb to your destination, the vast opening on top of a huge standing rock called Forty Acre Rock. Though actually 14 acres, it is still a breathtaking site. During the spring, water collects in depressions and you will be treated to the sight of a variety of specialized plants such as lichens, mosses, sedum, and the endangered pool sprite.
I keep finding myself heading back to 40 acre rock, love this place. Really cool plants inhabit the vernal pools on the rock, some only peek out for a few weeks, flower, and then return to dormancy. The most recent recording I took will ensure that you see just about everything. It includes the walk around the beaver pond, rock formations, the section along the creek, and the waterfall/cave (second stopping point).
Rachel B.
Beautiful trail once crossed the rocks. We took our dog and was disappointed to find broken glass throughout most of the trail. Really cool cave but smelled like urine since an obvious hangout for teens. We didn’t see a waterfall but hasn’t rained in a week. Lots of graffiti throughout the entire hike. Won’t go back.
So fun!
features multiple waterfalls and has great scenery. sad there’s a bunch of graffiti, and lack of trail markers. but other than that it’s a great place.
Great hike with the family!
Nice trail and flowers in bloom today. Waterfall was a trickle but active. Signage on the rock itself is lacking but not a big issue.
The trail was in between easy and moderate difficulty. Some parts of the trail are not clearly marked, however it is a beautiful area, and worth exploring.
This is close to home so I go here often. Lots of places to explore and several trails.
Good difficulty for a novice hiker. Trail poorly marked at points. Waterfall not always present.
Cool Cave - lots of graffiti
poorly marked trail....couldn't see any sort of waterfall as many claimed
Swastika graffiti is a buzzkill. Overgrowth so bad at one part that it's not fun to walk through. Not much wildlife to see on the rock in summer. Short, easy hike.
Drove all the way out here and gates closed and no idea where the trail starts and didn't want to leave my car in the middle of no where. The website says its permanently closed.
Tough (needs better markings though. Thanks to this app we were able to make our way back where we started.
beautiful rock formation, just wish we found the rock slide that we read about.
Virginia P.
beautiful view
A truly special place in South Carolina. The views are amazing, and the area is full of surprises. The trail is not well marked in some areas, but if you watch geographic features, you can find your way easy enough. Recommend parking at the higher of the two lots, as the approach to the rock from that side is very dramatic.
parked at the 2nd from the bottom entrance and hiked down and then took the first left off the main trek. this is a great hike if you wanna hike for less than an hour there and back. you see big bolders to the left, the walk around the pond and off to the right is another big bolder you can sit on and look out over the Lilly padded pond. It's an easy walk with one step quick incline. we used walking sticks but they aren't needed. just good shoes.
Nice walk with all the kids. Everyone had fun. A couple trail markings were a little subtle, so the map was important for us.
Beautiful trail but sucky trail markings...got lost and off the trail often but found our way back roughly.
i love the view and its nice if u bring your dog but do b careful bec there feet burn on the rock and for any glass
There are signs along the way, so be looking for them and not at your phone.
When you follow the road in, you'll see a point where you can turn left just after several large rocks with graffiti on them. Turn left and follow the rock down to the trail and you'll end up doing a loop back to where you started. Once along the lower part of your hike, you'll see a cave and a 1-2 small waterfalls. As I'm sure you've read, there is a ton of graffiti and beer cans. Bring a trash bag and help carry out some of the trash that trashy people left behind. The hike wasn't too difficult, but I can see where folks might get confused on where to go. It looks like there are several side trails to different points of interest. Follow the signs and you'll be find.
Very fun trail! Lots of awesome and (mostly) preserved nature to see.
we parked at the top of the park and went on to the 40-acre Rock. Difficult to find the trail from The Rock. It's in the lower right hand corner.
also I happen to be an incredibly hot and humid day but the trail was nice
Short hike and not too hard. Had some really great spots to see and I was amazed about the size of that rock. All in all I think it's a good place to see at least once!
Short hike to a big (huge) rock. Lots of graffiti and trash here and there but nice view. Cool rock. Dog friendly.
Good trail length with some pretty neat views. Some spots are steep so watch your footing. There is a TON of graffiti but it doesn't take away from the experience.
One of the best days I've had hiking a single location. Lots of wonderful areas to explore. There's graffiti on the rock, but honestly it's not terribly distracting.
Fun for my dog and I to spend a Saturday.
Perfect for a beautiful fall day with my son!
The hike is great! Well-maintained trail with good variations in plant life.