Table Rock

Michael Trotter

Park Manager

Hi! My name is Michael Trotter and I am the park manager at Table Rock. I became interested in becoming a park ranger during a career talk by a park ranger.   The talk planted a seed that germinated while I was working on a landfill site as a geologist.  At that moment, I realized I would rather pursue a career that dealt directly with preserving natural resources and helping people enjoy the outdoors.

My favorite activity at Table Rock is hiking the Pinnacle Mountain Trail in late autumn and early winter as the leaves are falling. The views from the trail are spectacular and you really get a unique perspective of Table Rock Mountain when you are standing on Bald Knob and looking back toward Table Rock.

If you’re a first-time visitor to Table Rock, I suggest you visit Carrick Creek Falls and take a minute to reconnect with your inner child by wading in the pool below the falls—most enjoyable during the warmer months!

**Our Ultimate Outsider stamps are located at multiple locations throughout the park. Look for it at the Visitors Center's information counter, where park staff will be happy to stamp your book. We also have stamps in the Nature Center, the General Store, at Concessions and at the trailhead kiosk outside of the Nature Center. 

Table Rock State Park fits the bill for the natural beauty attributed to scenic Highway 11. The towering mountain, which gives the park its name, serves as a backdrop for the 3,000 acre park and its facilities. Below this section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, South Carolina natives and visitors can enjoy Table Rock State Park cabins, a campground and an old-fashioned swimming hole on one of the park’s two lakes.

Table Rock State Park hiking trails serve as an access point for the 76-mile Foothills Trail. South Carolina hikers can use to travel between several connected South Carolina State Parks. The Table Rock State Park hiking trails take hikers past mountain streams and waterfalls to the tops of Pinnacle and Table Rock mountains. While the park is well known to outdoor enthusiasts for its natural features, Table Rock also has its place in history. Many of the Table Rock State Park cabins and other structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps remain standing and are on the National Register of Historic Places.