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A stroll along the northern section of South Carolina’s Swamp Rabbit Trail reveals why this thriving community has become a destination all its own.
By Leonard M. Adkins / Photos courtesy of Leonard M. and Laurie Adkins / Photo Above: Swan Lake was one of the first features built on Furman’s current campus in the mid-1950s.
The Swamp Rabbit Trail connects Greenville, South Carolina, with its neighboring town, Travelers Rest, and several years ago Laurie and I walked a portion of its southern end near Greenville. The 25-plus-mile pathway follows the abandoned route of the Greenville and Northern Railway, which received its rabbit moniker from the way its locomotives hopped up and down on wobbly tracks coursing through the area’s moist wetlands.
This year, we walked its northern section from Furman University into Travelers Rest, and our experiences here reminded me of how researchers have determined, time and time again, that greenways and rail trails improve a population’s overall physical and mental well-being and are a significant economic boon to the areas through which they pass.
Laurie and I didn’t need any studies to find this to be true. Within minutes of starting, we were walking beside Furman Lake, better known as Swan Lake, and among scores of college students on their way to classes, joggers and bicyclists rapidly going by us, and mothers pushing strollers at a more leisurely pace. There were no swans, but ducks paddling by created wavy lines in the water’s reflection of blue sky, the university’s historic clock tower and the greenery of Paris Mountain rising in the background.
Local resident Rebecca Ruffrage told us, “I ride my bike to work, my children are on the trail every day, and I love early-morning walks with my dog. From the tree-lined route to the sense of connection you feel with nature and the community, it’s a part of our daily life that makes living in Travelers Rest so special.”
Passing by a student-built replica of Thoreau’s Walden Pond cabin, the trail’s landscape went from heavily shaded areas to open fields of wildflowers to a couple of small trailside parks with benches. A deep cut in the ground had enabled the railroad to continue with its gradual incline (and provided us with a definite drop of a few degrees of temperature).
Coming into Travelers Rest, I was surprised at the masses of people patronizing the shops and numerous restaurants of the two- to three-block downtown—even though it was midafternoon on a weekday. I later inquired about this hustle and bustle, and town mayor Brandy Amidon proudly proclaimed, “Before the Swamp Rabbit Trail and Main Street development efforts, more than 90 percent of the buildings in downtown Travelers Rest sat empty. Today, we only have one vacancy. We created a destination that supports locally owned small businesses and brings new energy to our community.”
Lunch was tiramisu crêpes (tasting more like what tiramisu should taste like than what I’ve had as dessert in many restaurants) and frozen mochas at Tandem Crêperie and Coffeehouse. Early evening was spent relaxing in rockers on the Swamp Rabbit Inn’s porch just across from the trail before a peaceful slumber in our upstairs room—proving the town has justifiably earned its name.
Leonard has written 20 books on the outdoors and travel. His newest book, “All About the Appalachian Trail,” won the Independent Book Publishers Award and is the perfect gift for outdoorsy kids 8 to 12 years old. Find out more at habitualhiker.com.
When you Go
The Walk: A gradually sloping 3.5-mile (7 miles round trip) outing on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, Travelers Rest, South Carolina.
Getting There: From the intersection of South Main Street and U.S. 276 in Travelers Rest, follow U.S. 276 southward for 1.7 miles, turn left onto Duncan Chapel Road, and make another left into the parking area in an additional 0.8 miles.
More Information: A map of the trail is on greenvillerec.com/swamprabbit.
The story above first appeared in our September/October 2026 issue.
