A Trail Legacy Spanning Over 100 Miles

Glenn Hilliard, champion of the Foothills Trail, led efforts to buy the Saluda Grade

The purchase of the Saluda Grade railroad last week was a high point for one visionary who has devoted over 50 years to creating trail networks in the Carolina mountains—Glenn Hilliard, founder of both the Foothills Trail Conservancy and the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy. Now that the Saluda Grade Trail has reached this milestone, Glenn is stepping back to spend more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. As they enjoy the outdoors together, they are among those benefiting from a conservation legacy that will grow to include more than 100 miles of trails.  

The Foothills Trail, which Glenn has championed since 1974, currently spans 77 miles of trail, plus connecting trails—all of which join Upstate SC state parks including Table Rock, Oconee, Sassafras Mountain, Caesars Head, and Jones Gap. When built, the Saluda Grade rail trail will run for 31.5 miles, from Upstate SC into Western North Carolina, through the small towns of Inman, Campobello, Landrum, Tryon, Saluda, and Zirconia. 

And Glenn sees potential for even more trail connections. He says, “My vision for the Saluda Grade Trail is a joined system of trails that connect with the Ecusta Trail, the hiking and biking trails in and around Asheville, Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail, an eastern extension to downtown Spartanburg and beyond to Croft State Park and beyond, in cooperation with the Palmetto Trail.” 

Growing Up Outdoors 

Glenn was inspired to his lifelong leadership in trail creation by his childhood in Anderson, SC. He says, “For my entire youth I spent almost all my free time outside–walking hundreds of miles while enjoying the streams, ponds, wildlife and woodlands and looking for arrowheads. Spending all of those hours alone in the outdoors made me calmer, happier and more grounded than any other times or activities, and even today the outdoors continues to be my outlet and my happy place.” 

Glenn went on to marry his childhood sweetheart, Heather, who he has been smitten with since they both attended a birthday party when he was in the seventh grade. Now, the two have been married for over fifty-nine years. As a Master Gardener, Master Naturalist, and hiker Heather shares his love of the outdoors and conservation. “We love the outdoors and have a shared commitment to leave this world to be a better place because we have lived,” Glenn says.  

With his wife’s support, Glenn went to law school and went on to become CEO of several large companies. He is currently the CEO of Hilliard Group LLC, a family investment and advisory firm based in Greenville. Still, conservation is his passion.  

Over the years, Glenn helped to form SC’s Bartram Group of the Sierra Club and founded the Foothills Trail Conservancy. He has previously served on the board of the Rails to Trails Conservancy and currently serves on the boards of Upstate Forever, Naturaland Trust and the Upstate Land Conservation Fund.  

A New Attempt for the Saluda Grade Trail 

It was when he was confined at home during the COVID pandemic in 2020, that he started to pursue a dream that has long been held by many in this region—to turn the historic Saluda Grade Railroad into a rail trail. 

He started researching previous attempts to buy the line and forging connections between local leaders. In the past, negotiations with Norfolk Southern had hit a wall. At the time, the railroad didn’t seem interested in selling. 

Glenn decided it was time to organize local partners and try again. He brought together a coalition of nonprofits including Upstate Forever; PAL: Play, Advocate, Live Well; and Conserving Carolina. Also on the team were lawyer Andy Gowder, appraiser John Palmer, lobbyist Pat Votava, and leading advocates for trails and local economic development. In 2022, they formed the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy. Early in 2022, they approached Norfolk Southern again with a proposal to buy the line.  

This time, the railroad did signal interest, although such a large purchase—31.5 miles spanning two states, costing tens of millions of dollars—is a complicated transaction. 

Laura Ringo, the executive director of PAL, says, “Glenn has been an incredible leader for the acquisition phase of the Saluda Grade Trail. He has built a cohesive and unified effort among three nonprofits. This has been no small feat and has led to an incredibly successful partnership. In addition, thanks to Glenn’s business acumen, he was masterful at de-escalating tense situations and turning them highly productive. I have been amazed by his ability to navigate tough conversations with the railroad and among our partners with empathy and class.” 

This June, with funding from the states of North and South Carolina as well as other partners, the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy purchased the rail line. 

Kieran Roe, executive director of Conserving Carolina, says, “Glenns’s passion for the trail, his business acumen and his keen ability to keep everyone involved in the project working as a team toward our shared goals, have been critical to our success.”   

To Have Succeeded 

For Glenn, it all comes back to his childhood experience in nature—the freedom to roam and to connect with the great outdoors. 

“The Foothills Trail continues to bring joy and relaxation to me and to many other users,” he says. “The Saluda Grade provided yet another opportunity to help protect our incredible green areas for many others. When I was a kid I needed trails, woods, rivers and parks to give me energy and relaxation. I needed green spaces to keep my mind clear and focused. As I grew older, I began to realize that many other people also needed those same peaceful times and places, and I saw an opportunity to help others find their peace, inspiration and focus.” 

Through half a century of both volunteer leadership and generous financial support, he has made a tremendous impact. 

Aldon Knight, the executive director of Upstate Forever, says, “To put it simply, the landscapes of Upstate South Carolina and the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains would not be as beautiful and accessible as they are today without the work of Glenn Hilliard. Both the Foothills Trail and the Saluda Grade Trail are transformational recreation amenities that will allow countless generations to experience and celebrate the world around them.” 

Following the achievement of the purchase of the Saluda Grade railroad, Glenn is stepping back to spend more time with the people he cherishes—his wife, three daughters, seven granddaughters, one grandson, and another dear one they regard as a granddaughter.  

He will remain involved in the Saluda Grade Trail project and other conservation causes, even as he retires from his leadership of the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy.  

Glenn reflects on a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson and sees room for one small addition: “To leave this world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch [or a hiking trail] or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” 

Glenn says, “These green places and these trails are one of my ways to help to leave this world a better place.”