South Carolina · Trail 310A

Buncombe Horse Trail

Buncombe Horse Trail is a 34.2-mile trail in Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, South Carolina. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. The forest has not published allowed uses for it.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end34.4508° N, 81.7049° W · Directions ↗
Other end34.4320° N, 81.6710° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 9 segments.

The trail

Length34.2 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade8-10 percent, 10-12 percent
Typical tread width24-36 inches, 18-24 inches
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers310A, 310A-2, 310A-3, 310B, 310C, 310D, 310E, 310F, 310G
ForestFrancis Marion and Sumter National Forests (unit 0812)
StatesSouth Carolina
Detail publishedbasic characteristics

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Buncombe Horse Trail40°50°60°70°80°January: 4.19 inches of precipitation, 0.9 inches of snowFebruary: 3.61 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowMarch: 4.29 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowApril: 3.75 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 3.13 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.09 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 3.67 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.99 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.37 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.33 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 3.56 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 4.27 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 41.0°F averageFebruary: 44.7°F averageMarch: 51.1°F averageApril: 60.3°F averageMay: 68.0°F averageJune: 75.8°F averageJuly: 79.3°F averageAugust: 78.0°F averageSeptember: 72.1°F averageOctober: 60.7°F averageNovember: 50.2°F averageDecember: 43.5°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Union 8 S, 9 miles from the trail midpoint at 480 feet, station USC00388786 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 45 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 2 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Rcw Pile Burn Csp Rx

    41 mi from the trail midpoint

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Guidebooks for South Carolina

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Five-Star Trails: South Carolina Upstate
    Sherry Jackson, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Dog Hikes South Carolina
    Melissa Watson, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Charleston, South Carolina
    Johnny Molloy, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Buncombe Horse Trail?

The Forest Service records 34.2 miles under this name in Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, the sum of 9 segments.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Buncombe Horse Trail?

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.

Source: Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests official page

Where does the Buncombe Horse Trail start?

The line begins at 34.4508° N, 81.7049° W and ends at 34.4320° N, 81.6710° W. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Buncombe Horse Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Buncombe Horse Trail?

Brick House Campground (under 0.1 mi) is within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists it with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Buncombe Horse Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Buncombe Horse Trail?

The typical grade is 8-10 percent on most segments and 10-12 percent on others. The typical tread is 24-36 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Buncombe Horse Trail?

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, Forest Service unit 0812. The trail is in South Carolina.

Source: Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests official page

Is there a fire near the Buncombe Horse Trail?

The interagency feed shows 1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rcw Pile Burn Csp Rx at 41 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 9 segments named Buncombe Horse Trail in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0812. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.