Shiloh Ridge

Paris Mountain State Park has experienced a quadrupling in visitors over the last three years. Access to outdoor recreation is one of the main drivers that attracts new residents to Greenville County. As these second fastest growing county intestate, public access to parks and green spaces must keep pace with demand. All of the state parks in Greenville County have been overburdened with dramatic increases in visitation. Between 2018 and 2021, Paris Mountain State Park went from 140,000 to 520,000 annual visitors, but its footprint did not change. Shiloh Ridge aims to expand the park by 146 acres, which will allow PRT to expand the outdoor experience to its growing users and possibly create a new entrance to relieve congestion issues. Shiloh Ridge is the largest parcel that adjoins the state park, and with this singular acquisition, we can increase Paris Mountains acreage by nearly 10%. The property is encumbered by a conservation easement held by Upstate Forever (UF).

The easement was intended to prevent a high-density subdivision from being built on the land. Eventually, the property was transferred to a new owner, Bob Hughes, a local developer who has owned the land since 2001. Although the easement prevents the owner from creating a high-density subdivision, it does not prevent other forms of development, nor does the easement require public access through or within the property. The easement allows for the construction and subdivision of four large homes or landscaped estates. If built, these estates would likely be located on the ridgelines and high points of the property and would impact the view and experience for guests of Paris Mountain State Park. The highest and best use for this tract is to expand the trails around Camp Buckhorn and Brissy Ridge to allow the half a million visitors (and growing) to this urban park a chance to experience the beautiful waterfalls, streams, and forests of Shiloh Ridge. This is a priority project for SCPRT and its future management.

The property is gorgeous, full of mature hardwoods, waterfalls, and ephemeral streams, full of aquatic life, in addition to bears, bobcats, deer, and turkey, all very close to downtown Greenville. Old liquor stills, some of which are still intact, speak to the quality of the water coursing through the ravines and valleys. Undoubtedly, without the conservation easement, we would not have a chance to buy this property and make it accessible and beneficial to the public at an affordable price. For many years, the easement kept the incentive slow for developing the property into these large estates. With the recent growth of Greenville and the demand for large homes near the city, the financial incentive to subdivide and develop this property is now considerably higher. Shiloh Ridge gives us an unprecedented chance to purchase large acreage for one of South Carolina’s most popular urban parks with frontage on a main road.