Capital City Passage

Palmetto Trail Columbia Part 3
2019 Hiking week 3
Because of the threat of rain and colder temperatures this weekend, we decided to finish up the Capital City passage of the Palmetto Trail. This section was from the intersection of Devereaux Street and Adger Street to Fort Jackson. As I mentioned before, Devereaux goes through the Heathwood neighborhood with many old, large houses. It has a nice sidewalk on the side of the road and it slopes gently downward as you head towards Kilbourne Road. Once you cross Beltline Boulevard, you will pass Brennan Elementary school, which was pretty busy with pick up since we went by on a weekday.
Gills Creek

Once you reach the end of Devereaux, you cut over to Kilbourne Road. This section of Columbia was affected by the 2015 flood. You’ll see a few newer homes that have replaced the older, flood damaged homes. On Kilbourne Road, you cross over Gills Creek which was one of the creeks that flooded its banks. I like this section of the trail because it has wild growth and is a nice, natural feature in the middle of a lot of development. There has been discussion of adding a paved trail to the creek in the area. We will see if that comes to pass.


Gills Creek

 Kilbourne Road ends at Fort Jackson Boulevard (you may also hear people refer to it as Jackson Blvd.). From here, you’ll head east to Fort Jackson. This road isn’t as scenic as other parts but as Heath and I walked on the sidewalk, we thought about how this area probably developed in relation to the fort. Fort Jackson is over 100 years old and has had a large effect on Columbia. Many soldiers and their families from all over the world have passed through Columbia and I think this has been good for the city. One benefit I appreciate are all of the different international restaurants! Some of those restaurants are just down Jackson Blvd, to the west, about half a mile. There are also gas stations and a few grocery stores, if you need to stop and refuel.


Jackson Boulevard crosses under Interstate 77 then comes to the Fort Jackson gate. You can walk up to the gate but you have to register with them if you want to go inside. We didn’t go in on this day, saving the Fort Jackson passage for another time.

I am glad that the people who planned the Palmetto Trail decided to bring the trail through downtown Columbia. I think you get a good look at the city and the major industries that have made the city what it is: the government, the university, and the fort. Also, you get to see a lot of historic homes. I’m looking forward to visiting one of the other urban passages of the trail in Spartanburg.
Next week, I hope that the weather will cooperate and we can do a longer hike, possibly somewhere new.
One idea I had this week was to start taking a plastic bag and gloves with us when we hike. I've noticed some trash along the trails that we've done and I think it would be a good thing to help keep the area clean. I encourage you to do the same during your walks. A small thing to help make South Carolina more beautiful! 

Columbia restaurants
Location: Columbia, SC, USA

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