Palmetto Trail — Capital City Passage landscape

Photo: Photo by Florian Schönbrunner on Unsplash

Palmetto Trail — Capital City Passage

1 days · 17.1 mi · easy · Point-to-point

Quick facts

Distance17.1 mi
Days out1
Elevation gain856 ft
Gain / mile50 ft
High point367 ft

What the Palmetto Trail — Capital City Passage is known for

The Capital City Passage runs about 15 miles through the Columbia metropolitan area, linking suburban greenway and forest corridors on the western edge of the state capital. The route crosses the Lake Murray area and threads through woodland buffers along the Broad and Saluda river confluences. Maintained by the Palmetto Conservation Foundation as part of the ~500-mile Palmetto Trail.

Route map & campsites

Route map of the Palmetto Trail — Capital City Passage on OpenStreetMap terrain Open in Planner →

Route shape from OpenStreetMap geometry. Start · End · Camp

Elevation profile

Elevation ranges from 463 ft to 1,152 ft over 17.1 mi. Measured from OSM geometry (approximate).

  • Uphill 4.5 mi · 26%
  • Downhill 4.0 mi · 23%
  • Flat 8.7 mi · 51%

Ridgefold breaks every route into uphill, downhill, and flat — see the full per-day breakdown in the app.

Frequently asked questions

How much elevation gain is on the Palmetto Trail — Capital City Passage?

The Palmetto Trail — Capital City Passage climbs roughly 856 ft total — about 50 ft per mile, topping out near 367 ft.

Related trails

Sources & attribution

Route geometry and stats derived from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) — source relation. Stats are approximate and may differ from official surveys; permit rules and conditions change — verify with the managing authority before your trip. Last reviewed July 2026.

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