South Carolina

Capital: Columbia

Largest City: Columbia

Size Rank: 40th

Population Rank: 26th

Admission to Union: 8th

Find the other caches in the series HERE.

The Cache Across America Series: This is a series of caches that will take you on a caching tour of the entire United States. One cache is hidden in each of the 50 states. These caches each contain a numeric clue that will lead you to one final cache located in our nation's capitol upon completion of the series.

About this cache: located in the Midlands of SC.

This cache is easily accessed along the Stewardship Trail in Harbison State Forest, a little less than one mile round trip hike from the nearest parking spot. If you park in the parking area outside the front gate, it is closer to a 4 ½ mile round trip hike (along the Firebreak Trail West, the Connector Trail, and the Stewardship Trail).

Harbison State Forest is over 2,000-acres of wooded forest land just 9 miles from downtown Columbia, located along the Broad River. As the largest Urban GreenSpace in the SE USA, it features over 16 miles of trails for hiking and bicycling, picnic shelters, and special forestry education programs. The Headquarters of the South Carolina State Forestry Commission is located here as well.

There's a $5 ($25 annual) parking permit fee which can be paid at most of the marked parking areas. Bicyclists will also need to pay a Trail Use fee. The closest parking is at parking area "6" or trail junction "S", if you're sure you'll be out of the park by closing. view the trail guide map here.. The gates are locked after 4:30 pm on weekdays and 6:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. It's OK to be in the forest until sunset, but if you expect to be in the park after hours, be sure to park your car outside the gates to avoid the parking fine. Check the posted signs for seasonal variations to the gate schedule.

Permission for this cache was given by Harbison State Forest management. You may contact the Harbison State Forest Office at (803)896-8890 with any questions or if you need any assistance while in the forest.

Feel free to remove any/all decoys you may find near this cache. These "enhancements" were not placed by me. I believe that the proliferation of these "unauthorized" decoys has lead to the demise of many caches in our area and around SC. I believe that they draw too much "unwanted" attention to the cache. Thank you for your cooperation. Happy Caching!

Logging Requirements: Enjoy this cache as you would any other. If you are searching this cache as a participant in the Cache Across America series, please post a photo of yourself or a member of your group with the cache in your online log. If you for some reason are unable to meet the photo requirement, please make alternate arrangements to verify your find with the individual cache owner. There is no photo requirement for non-challenge participants.

Individual verification of all 50 state finds will be required before logging the series final.

If participating in the series, please take note of the three digit code located inside this cache. Save this code in a secure place. When you have visited all 50 caches, and have collected all 50 codes, you are welcome to seek and find the final cache! Good luck!