This easy trail makes a nice afternoon outing. A more
challenging spur trail to the Devil's Courthouse offers
one of the most dramatic views in the area.
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Difficulty (1-5):
Distance (round trip):
Elevation change:
Trail time:
Driving time:
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2 for the main trail, 4 including the spur trail
3 miles main trail, 4 miles with the spur
400 feet main trail, 525 ft spur
1.5 hours for the main trail, 2.5 hours with the spur
1.5 hours (45 min each way)
From the main gate at lake Toxaway, turn right toward Cashiers. Follow Hwy 64 for 17 miles, through
Cashiers. Just after the big view at the Overlook, turn left into Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. Proceed 1
mile to the parking area. There is a $2 charge to park, exact change required.
Whiteside Mountain trail
Head up the trail. It's about a mile, an easy 20 minutes walk up an old logging road to the clearing at the
top.
If you are going to take the spur trail to Devil's Courthouse, do that here. See below. If you are going to
continue on the main trail, turn to the right. There is a viewing platform that looks out over (view)
Leaving the platform, take the steps to the higher trail that follows along the ridge. There are several
great spots for a picnic along the ridge, or just drink some water and take in the view.
Continue on, eventually the trail takes you into the woods. Follow the trail until it rejoins the logging road
not too far from the parking lot.
Spur trail to the Devil's Courthouse
If you are going to take the spur trail to the Devil's Courthouse, at the clearing at the top, look for a sign.
about the watershed. Look to the right for an unmarked trail that descends into the woods. From here
the Devil's Courthouse is about a half mile. Allow 1.5 hours including plenty of time to sit and enjoy the
view. It's well worth the hike.
The trail descends and turns to the left. In a short distance there is a rock outcropping and the trail
appears to go down and to the right, but stay up and to the left.
Meanders through a rhododendron forest. Near the start, stay left and higher. If you are unsure of
whether to go straight or to the left and up, go left. Many switchbacks as you descend to a saddle
between Whiteside and the Devil's Courthouse.
Go straight through the saddle and on the other side begin to climb up. Follow this trail all the way to the
end. There is one spot before where sometimes people stop, thinking they have arrived. You'll know
when you arrive. If you aren't sure, you aren't there.
Once there, the view:
There is a faded Spanish inscription, once thought to date back to the 1500s but now known to have
been carved in the 1940s. For an interesting account of this legend, see Nancy Turner's excellent hiking
guide "The Summer Times."
Return the same way you came. When you get back to the clearing, look for the viewing platform and
follow the trail directions above.
Copyright 2007 by Tony Austin
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