The USGS figure, which the State Climatology Office repeats. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 3,534. The low point is the Atlantic Ocean at sea level
The Enoree trail states the width outright, and all four systems refuse Jeeps, Hummers and other four-wheel drive vehicles
of refuge road open to vehicles at Carolina Sandhills 28
140 mi
Earthen and gravel, plus a paved Visitors Drive, all of it open to traffic unless marked otherwise
acres leased into the wildlife management area programme 50
1.1M
Paid for out of WMA permit sales, and mostly private ground the public is allowed onto
tropical cyclones have come ashore here since 1851 52
44
Four of them as major hurricanes. Storms that land on the Gulf coast often cross the Midlands and Upstate as well
Tyres for wet clay, not for rock
The Enoree trail describes its own surface honestly: sand and Piedmont clay, dusty when dry and slick when wet. That is the whole state in a sentence. A tread that clears mud and keeps siping for wet pavement will do more good here than an aggressive compound built for granite.
Sand on the coast is the other case, and it is a pressure question rather than a tyre question. Carry a gauge and a way to reinflate. Studs are legal in South Carolina up to a sixteenth of an inch, chains are legal when conditions call for them, and neither is ever required.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
How high is South Carolina?
From McClellanville at 8 feet to Sassafras Mountain at 3,560.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
PickensTwelve miles from Table Rock and fifteen from Keowee-Toxaway on SC 111,108 ft
WalhallaThe way in to the Andrew Pickens district by SC 28 and SC 1071,028 ft
GreenvilleFull services in the Upstate, and the road up to Jones Gap and Caesars Head980 ft
SenecaOconee County services between Lake Hartwell and Lake Keowee953 ft
UnionEnoree district country on the Broad and Tyger rivers640 ft
AbbevilleLong Cane country, five miles from the Parsons Mountain OHV trailhead595 ft
McCormickThurmond Lake shoreline and the middle of the Savannah River byway537 ft
EdgefieldLong Cane ranger district office, on the piedmont side of the forest529 ft
AikenThe southern Savannah River corridor, twenty miles south of Edgefield516 ft
WhitmireThe Enoree OHV trail and Brick House campground are minutes out of town436 ft
ColumbiaForest supervisor’s office, the state capital and the road to Congaree298 ft
CherawChesterfield County town on the Pee Dee side of the sandhills refuge156 ft
SanteeLake Marion, five miles south of the Santee refuge headquarters137 ft
Moncks CornerBerkeley County services on the western edge of the Francis Marion55 ft
CharlestonCoastal services, the Ashley River Road and the south end of the Francis Marion10 ft
McClellanvilleBuck Hall landing, the Wambaw country and the way to Cape Romain8 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Sassafras MountainThe state high point, in Pickens County. The USGS figure, which the State Climatology Office repeats. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 3,5343,560 ft
Pinnacle MountainOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, above Table Rock State Park in Pickens County3,425 ft
Caesars HeadThe figure the Department of Natural Resources publishes for the overlook in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness and Recreation Area, on US 276 above Greenville3,266 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
Free build quotes
Looking for tire shops in South Carolina? Tell us about the project and get free quotes.
