Paris Mountain was a household name growing up, just like Table Rock and Caesars Head. Mostly Paris Mountain wasn’t a destination, but rather a backdrop to our visits to Greenville. My mom talks about growing up at the foot of Paris Mountain. When my dad lived in Greenville, he would take me and my brother up to the top of the mountain (which isn’t actually part of the state park).
On this beautiful peak-fall-foliage day, I made what is only my second visit to the state park itself (the first coming from geocaching years and years ago). To make this visit even more special, we got to meet up with the Griners, our dear friends with four kids who have just moved away from Columbia and up to Greenville.
The park itself is big, but with a total of six kids, we confined ourself to the playground area and a 1-mile-ish easy hike around the lake. The kids loved throwing stuff into the lake constantly, and it was neat seeing the dam, built before 1900. We had a nice picnic lunch by the main park office building, overlooking the lake and foliage.
Having recently read a book on South Carolina’s geology, I was more curious than I have been about how Paris Mountain came to be, and I tried to look at the rocks. You’ll notice that the granite is much different to the coquina, used as a building material at Poinsett State Park (in the Sandhills). Based on my limited geological knowledge now, it seems that Paris Mountain is a monadnock, which means a mountain that kind of stands alone. It stands alone because it is made of a more erosion-resistant rock than the area around it, which have eroded away. (But don’t ask me more about geology…I’m still a baby learner!)
Two trips to mountain parks in October…I’d count that a win! We had a great stay at Paris Mountain. We then drove over to the Griners’ house in Greer, then went to my cousin’s wedding over in Easley. A great time in the Upstate! Check out more pictures below.
Beavers in the Park 