The pet rule at Strawberry Hill USA is short and specific. Pets aren't allowed on the hayride, the farm playground or in the corn maze. For years that left a household with a dog two choices on a fall Saturday in Chesnee. The dog stayed home, or the farm got skipped.
This is the first fall Chesnee has had a third option. Since last November, Lake Blalock Park on Sandy Ford Road has had a nature trail. Leashed pets are welcome on it. Put the trail and the farm together and a fall Saturday has two parts. The morning is a walk that includes the dog. The afternoon is the farm without it. The farm season ends Sunday, November 1, so three weekends of that pairing are left.
A Trail Built While the Park Was Closed
The trail grew out of a bad stretch for the park. The Post and Courier reported that Lake Blalock Park took significant damage from Hurricane Helene in September 2024. It stayed closed until March while crews cleared downed trees and repaired the boat ramp and shelters. While the cleanup went on, Spartanburg Water decided to add a nature trail, and it built the trail along existing logging roads.
"We wanted to do something that stood out in that area of the county," Spartanburg Water CEO Guy Boyle told the paper.
Spartanburg Water announced a ribbon cutting for Friday, November 14, 2025, and the trail was dedicated that day. The first anniversary lands on a Saturday this year, November 14, 2026. That's two weeks after the farm closes for the season.
The park has been around much longer than the trail. It opened in 1983, when the H. Taylor Blalock Reservoir was built to add water supply for Spartanburg County. Its other facilities center on the water: a boat ramp, a picnic shelter, picnic tables and fishing piers.
What the Morning Walk Involves
The two sources measure the trail a little differently. The Post and Courier calls it 2.1 miles. Spartanburg Water's park page says nearly two miles. Either way it fits before lunch. One nearby resident told the paper that the full loop took him about an hour with his dog. He called it moderate, with some hills.
Here are the basics from Spartanburg Water's Lake Blalock page:
- Trailheads: One starts off the boat-area parking lot. The other is to the right of the Wardens' Office at 1925 Sandy Ford Road, Chesnee.
- Hours: The trail is open dawn to dusk. The park itself is open 6 a.m. to midnight.
- Dogs: All pets should be on a leash, and owners are asked to pick up after them.
- Who can use it: Foot traffic only. No bicycles, horses or motorized vehicles.
- Cost: The park is free and open to the public.
- Trash: Pack it in, pack it out.
Yellow paint on the trees marks the route. Benches sit along the way. Several connector paths let walkers shorten or switch routes, and a long section runs beside the 1,100-acre lake. The connectors matter if the dog or the kids are done before the loop is. If you have questions, the Wardens' Office is staffed Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at (864) 578-5442. Office hours don't include weekends.
The Farm Half Has an End Date
Strawberry Hill USA's 2026 hayride page lists the season as September 26 through November 1. The farm is at 3097 Hwy 11 West, Chesnee. October hours are Friday 1 to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The farm is closed to the public Monday through Thursday. The last wagons leave at 5 p.m., and the playground closes at 6.
A $21 ticket covers everyone 2 and older. It includes the hayride out to the farm playground plus a list of extras: feeding the big cows, visiting the goats, chickens, pigs and ducks, a giant slide, a zip line, a corn pit, farm volleyball and a jump pillow. Credit cards carry a 3% processing fee. This is the 16th year of the corn maze. It's listed daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at $11 for ages 3 to 99, with the last tickets sold at 6.
As of Monday, October 12, here's what's left of the overlap:
| Day | Strawberry Hill hayride | Lake Blalock trail | John's Cafe, Chesnee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 17 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Dawn to dusk | Breakfast 6:30 to 11 a.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Dawn to dusk | Closed |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Dawn to dusk | Breakfast 6:30 to 11 a.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Dawn to dusk | Closed |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Dawn to dusk | Breakfast 6:30 to 11 a.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., final day | Dawn to dusk | Closed |
The one-night night maze on October 10 has already passed.
Breakfast Sets the Order
On a Saturday, breakfast has the earliest cutoff of the three stops. John's Cafe has a Chesnee location at 204 South Florida Avenue. Its site lists Saturday breakfast from 6:30 to 11 a.m., and the Chesnee location is closed Sundays. On weekdays, breakfast runs 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. and lunch runs 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu leans on plates like John's Twofers, which come with eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes, along with loaded hash browns and biscuits and gravy. The cafe doesn't date its hours online, so call ahead before you plan around them.
The restaurant has some recognition behind it. The City of Chesnee's Best of Spartanburg roundup for 2026 lists John's Cafe as the winner in Diner and in Caterer/Catering Company. Its Chesnee location was a finalist for New Restaurant.
With a dog in the car, a Saturday that fits every clock looks like this:
- Breakfast at John's Cafe on South Florida Avenue, finished before the 11 a.m. cutoff.
- The Lake Blalock loop with the dog, starting from the boat-area lot or beside the Wardens' Office. Allow about an hour, or use a connector to cut it short.
- Drop the dog at home. The farm's no-pets rule covers the hayride, the playground and the maze.
- Strawberry Hill in the afternoon, before the last wagons leave at 5 p.m.
On a Sunday, skip the cafe. The farm opens at 11 a.m. that day, so the trail can take up the whole morning without rushing.
The same awards list named two other Chesnee spots, Jeannie's Kitchen and Immaculate Confections, as New Restaurant winners. FOX Carolina featured Jeannie's Kitchen in a Big Dave Eats segment in June 2026. Check their current hours directly before you build a weekend around either one.
After November 1, the Trail Pairs With Cowpens
When the farm closes, the trail doesn't. It stays open dawn to dusk, and the weekend's second stop changes. The National Park Service lists the grounds of Cowpens National Battlefield as open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round, with the visitor center open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking at the eastern trailhead is open dawn to dusk. The park's "Night before Kings Mountain" program was October 6 this year and has passed. Its online calendar hasn't been updated in years, so ask the park directly about any programs later in the season.
The town calendar moves on too. Fall Chesnee Bingo cards are available at City Hall, and finished cards can be turned in during normal business hours for a prize. The city's fall cleanup notice said a dumpster would be placed at City Hall for city residents starting October 1. It excluded appliances, TVs and tires and gave no end date, so check with City Hall that it's still there before loading the truck. The city has also posted an application for the Christmas in Chesnee Parade, sponsored by Comporium, but hasn't published a date or time yet. If you're looking further afield, our notes on how fall unfolds in Campobello and the Spartanburg County neighborhood guide cover the rest of this corner of the Upstate.
If you've wondered how local additions like the Lake Blalock trail affect what your Chesnee home is worth this fall, Tim Elder and our team can walk you through it. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll take it from there with straight answers and local knowledge.
