Paris Mountain State Park | Aug. 18-22, 2021

Paris Mountain State Park encompasses ~1,500 acres of natural space outside of the rapidly-growing city of Greenville, SC, including the titular monadnock, Paris Mountain, and surrounding lowlands.  The majority of visitors come from more urban areas to enjoy the trails, lakes, and campgrounds Paris Mountain State Park has to offer.  As the population of Greenville increases, so does the visitation to the park.  Over the years, considerable impacts have degraded the prized qualities of the park, including visitor conflicts, impacts to vegetation, and trail widening/ erosion. For the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team will be at Paris Mountain State Park leading a variety of workshops, outreach programs and community events, including opportunities for community involvement.

*Paris Mountain State Park is located on the ancestral lands of the ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), Catawba, and possibly other tribes*

Solutions

During the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team led a variety of workshops, outreach programs, and community events at Paris Mountain State Park. There were several guided activities offered within the park which included a choice of mountain biking with Mountain Goat, trail running with Friends of Paris Mountain State Park, paddling with SC State Parks and Friends of Lake Jocassee, a rigorous hike with Greenville Natural History Association Hiking Club, or a gentler interpretive nature walk with Paris Mountain State Park, followed by a cool dip and cold treats! The Friends of Paris Mountain State Park held a public ribbon cutting of a new trail and a Friends Day which provided information on how to be a member of the Friends group and be more involved in supporting the park. Upstate SORBA and Upstate Stewards hosted a service project which included trail maintenance, litter pick up, pruning, and trail blazing. The Music in the Woods concert in the park featured music group Morning News and a Stewardship Expo was hosted by Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the Friends of Paris Mountain State Park, REI Greenville, UpstateSORBA, GNHA hiking club, and Lake Conestee Nature Preserve. In addition, a stewardship themed Hot Spot Happy Hour and Trivia night was held at the Mountain Goat.