Grassy Knob

In 2015 we spoke with a former forester turned real estate agent who was marketing 776 acres in Pickens County on a mountain ridge called Grassy Knob. He had clients from abroad knocking at the door who would clear-cut the massive hardwoods, so he called us. 

When standing atop Table Rock and looking southward, Grassy Knob at 1,600 feet high is the first mountain you see. Looking out over decades of conservation efforts into the foothills and piedmont, those views represent countless hours of work and effort invested by those who had a greater vision of what the Upstate might be.  We couldn’t imagine the viewshed of South Carolina’s most iconic state park being harmed. Mature oaks, poplars, and table mountain pine occupy the canopy. Throughout the property, headwater streams and seeps spill into the Saluda and Savannah watersheds on either side of the mountain. At first glance, we knew this property was special, but we had to act fast.  

This project fit right into our wheelhouse, but the funding was going to be tricky. Typically, Naturaland Trust applies for grants from local foundations or federal and state agencies to protect these properties for the public. We have been fortunate over the years in receiving grants, especially when competing on a statewide or even national level. We were confident Grassy Knob could stand out.

Open Space Institute, who previously provided a bridge loan for the Nine Times Forest, got involved and used their revolving conservation fund to close on the property while we applied to the South Carolina Conservation Bank. Meanwhile, SCDOT was expanding Highway 153 just south of the property and needed to mitigate its wetland impacts. Upstate Forever contacted DOT and offered Grassy Knob as a potential site for mitigation on which they would hold an easement. 

Through a generous grant from the South Carolina Conservation Bank and funding from DOT, we were able to raise enough money to reimburse OSI and permanently protect Grassy Knob. Naturaland Trust now owns the 776-acre tract and Upstate Forever holds a conservation easement on 328 acres of the Saluda watershed portion of the property. 

The hoops and tangles we jump through to accomplish these goals are always worth it in the end when we know a portion of our natural heritage is protected forever. Fortunately, OSI, Upstate Forever, the Conservation Bank and DOT share this vision. Grassy Knob is open for hiking through the network of old logging roads which can be accessed on the north side on Sandy Clay Rd from dawn to dusk. There is no ATV, biking, camping, fires, or public hunting allowed. If you'd like to read more about the property, please see Ron Barnett's article in the Greenville News.