Greenville County High Point Trip Report
Little Rich Mtn
Date: June 27, 1999
Author: Edward Earl
Where US-276 crosses the border of NC and SC south of Brevard, a side road heads east
for several miles amid private developments and a youth camp. Just past the paved entrance
to a posted private development is a large dirt pullout on the north (left) side of the road,
practically the only place on the entire road where one can comfortably park by the roadside.
I parked here and headed a short distance east until the crest of the dirt face behind the
pullout dropped to the road level, then turned north uphill, first through brush in a clearing
under a power line, then continued uphill through open forest. Two houses came into view on
the ridge above. I worked my way around these to the right (this may be private property).
The ridge continued NNE through open forest to the summit. Nowhere on the route did I
encounter any signs, fences, people, or other indication that my route
traversed private property.
The highest contour on the topo map (3320') is an oval measuring about 100' N-S by 200' E-W.
In order for Little Rich Mtn to match Coldbranch Mtn in elevation, it would have to rise at
least 37' above this level within a horizontal baseline of 100'. The summit would have to
be pointed, probably with a rock outcrop, in order to do this. In fact, the summit is
gently rounded. When I walked about 50' N or S of the summit (measured by counting paces),
the summit was only a foot or two above my eye level, placing the summit elevation at about 3327'.
Unless the topo contours on Little Rich Mtn are in error by 30' relative to Coldbranch Mtn
(highly unlikely since topo map evidence is usually taken as gospel), I can eliminate
Little Rich Mtn as a possible contender for the Greenville county HP.
When this evidence is combined with field observations on Slicking Mtn, Coldbranch Mtn is
definitely the Greenville county HP, and I think that future Greenville county HPers should
only have to climb Coldbranch Mtn.