South Carolina is the Southeastern State in the United States of America. It has a lot to offer nature lovers and explorers. The state has one National Park named Congaree National Park in central South Carolina. It also boasts several state parks and forests offering scenic views and lot of activities throughout year. In this post we are sharing our experience about exploring Scenic waterfalls of South Carolina, USA.
We have given details on how to reach these falls, the trails and hikes. We rated these hikes on the scale of 1-5. 5 being the most difficult.
King Creek Falls
King Creek Falls is a gorgeous, 70 feet tall waterfall located in the Oconee County near Long Creek in South Carolina. The waterfall is part of the Chattooga River in the Sumter National Forest.
Directions
From Salem, SC, one can take SC-130 North, take a sharp left onto State Road S-37-413, then turn left onto SC-107 South and finally take right onto Fs646 (also called the Burrells Ford Road). Drive for 1.8 miles and stop at the Burrell’s Ford Campground Parking Area.
From Walhalla, SC, one can take Highway 28 Southwest, turn right onto SC-107 North and finally a left onto Fs646 or the Burrell’s Ford Road. Drive for 1.8 miles and stop at the Burrells Ford Campground Parking Area where you can park your vehicle.
From Highlands, NC, one can take US-64 Northeast, turn right onto NC-107 South near Cashiers, continue onto SC-107 South and finally a right onto Fs646 or the Burrells Ford Road. Drive for 1.8 miles and stop at the Burrell’s Ford Campground Parking Area
Hiking Trail
Once you park at the Burrell’s Ford Campground Parking, it might get confusing at first. Look for the information board in the below picture. Walk right past it (Opposite to the restroom) and you find the Trailhead Marker.
The waterfalls is about 0.7 miles (one way) from the parking. It may take around 35-50 mins for the one way hike based on hiking speed, stops, etc. From the parking lot, you can use the foothills trail. King creek falls shows 0.5 miles hike distance. Please note that the 0.5 mile feels like 1 mile as the hike is moderate and tiring. We would rate the difficulty as 2.5 on a scale from 1 to 5.
The trail is narrow for most of the parts with tree roots crossing the trail at several points. Moreover, the trail can be slippery if it rains, so watch your step. If you are hiking with elders, infants or toddlers, please consider the same. The trees along the trail are marked with color to avoid getting lost.
Close to the falls, there is a fallen tree log blocking the way. There is a notch made in it to help cross the same and get over to the other side. It’s all worth it once you see the waterfall. You can reach close to it and spend some time sitting on the rocks or wade in the water. The view is mesmerizing with all the greenery surrounding it.
Reedy Cove or Twin Falls
Reedy Cove Falls, also known as Twin Falls, is another beautiful 70 feet tall waterfall located in Pickens County of South Carolina. It is formed by the Reedy Cove Creek. There are two water drops located side by side. One of which is falling onto ground directly while the other drops forming cascades falling from the same height.
Directions
From Liberty SC, one can take US-178 West, keep left to continue on State Road S-39-100, take right onto State Road S-39-92, take right onto waterfalls road and finally continue on Twin Falls Trail road which ends at a parking lot.
From Greenville SC, take SC-183 West towards Pickens, then take US-178 West, keep left to continue on State Road S-39-100, take right onto State Road S-39-92, take right onto waterfalls road and finally continue on Twin Falls Trail road.
Hiking Trail
From the parking lot, the trail is about 0.3-0.4 miles long one way. It takes 10-15 mins to get to the falls. The hike is easy and almost flat. We rate the difficulty as 1 on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult.
The trail is scenic and located by the side of Reedy Cove Creek. There is wooden water wheel located along the side of the trail. There is an observation platform at the end of the trail with seating arrangement. One can view the waterfalls from here.
It is possible to get the base of the waterfalls. This is risky and needs one to go off trail and climb down slippery rocky bed. But the view from the base of the waterfalls is mesmerizing and worth taking the risk for amazing pictures.
There is also another difficult trail that takes one to the top of the falls but we didn’t prefer to take the same as for sure the view of the falls from the top is not always great when compared to that from the base.
Station Cove Falls
Station Cove Falls is another beautiful 60 feet tall waterfall located near Oconee Station State Historic Site in Walhalla, Oconee County, South Carolina. It is formed by the Station Creek.
Directions
From Salem, take SC-130 North, then left onto Alexander Road, another left onto SC-11 South and finally a right onto Oconee Station Road to reach to the parking lot.
From Walhalla, take SC-183 North, then take left onto Christophers Road, turn right onto SC-11 North and finally left onto Oconee Station Road.
Hiking Trail
The parking lot is not big and can only hold a few vehicles. People usually park along the road side if the place is full. The trail is around 0.5-0.6 miles one way and takes about 20-30 mins to reach. The hike is moderate with almost flat trail requiring some walk and usually muddy/dirty if it rains. We rate the difficulty as 1.5 on a scale of 5, 5 being very difficult.
Once you are at the information board, take the trail besides it. The trail is well marked but muddy and may also be wet if it rains. You will also come across different kind of wild flowers along your way. The trail splits into two routes after about 0.25 miles. One of which goes to the Station Cove Falls while the other continues to the Station Park.
Further trail is scenic and at some points goes along the creek. We saw trees fallen at several points along the trail. As you get close to the waterfalls, one requires to cross the Station Creek and continue along to access the fall.
The hike is all worth it as one gets to watch the beauty of the waterfall surrounded by the lush forest. You can also wade in the water at base of the waterfall. We mostly observed kids having a lot of fun in the creek.
Issaqueena Falls
Issaqueena Falls is a beautiful 100 feet tall waterfall located on Cane Creek in Sumter National Forest and also in the Walhalla town of Oconee County, South Carolina. The waterfall is named after the Creek maiden named Issaqueena who is said to have used the fall’s ledges to hide or get out of sight from the Cherokee warriors.
Stumphouse Tunnel is another attraction located in this park. There is also a picnic area located near to the place.
Directions
From Walhalla, head west on highway 28 South West, then turn right onto Stumphouse Tunnel and finally another right towards the Issaqueena Falls parking. If you go straight for another 0.2 miles, one will reach the Stumphouse Tunnel parking.
From Highlands NC, take NC-28 South, continue onto GA-28 South, then continue onto SC-28 South East and finally a left onto Stumphouse tunnel road.
Hiking Trail
There are 2 parking areas and one can also use the parking area of Stumphouse tunnel if the parking near waterfall is full. The trail to the observation platform is well maintained and almost flat. The hike is around 0.2 miles one way and hardly takes 5 mins to reach the platform. We rate the difficulty as 0.5 on a scale of 5 where 5 is very difficult.
The hike to the base of the falls is around another 0.1 miles and is downhill. It should not take more than 10 mins to reach the base but is steep & difficult requiring a lot of care. It can also be slippery if it rains making it even more difficult. Do not recommend for small kids and older people.
Once you reach the parking lot, you will see a small bridge that takes you to the information board of Issaqueena Falls. Here you can get to know the story behind the falls. From here, you can follow the trail that first takes you to a covered wooden shed. Then continue to hike along the well maintained trail for few mins to reach the observation platform. The view is good but not great when compared to the view from the base. We would still say it is a good thought from the park services to provide an observation platform for those who cannot make it to the base.
To reach the base, one has to take the unofficial trail located besides the observation platform. As soon as you take the trail, you will see how steep and difficult it would be. The trails has several roots, rocks and is slippery at some points. Hiking to the base may look easy to some extent but hiking back up to the observation platform is extremely strenuous. The view of the waterfall from the base is amazing and definitely worth taking the risk. The water cascades over several ledges which makes it absolutely stunning.
When you are here, it is also worth experiencing a dark incomplete railroad tunnel named Stumphouse Tunnel. It was built to be part of the Blue Ridge Railroad but was abandoned due to no funds. It has it’s own parking lot.
The hike to this tunnel involves few feet walk on a paved road uphill. The actual walk inside the tunnel is easy, flat, cool, dark, wet and has some small path holes. If you plan to visit this place, do carry a torch and watch your step.
Reedy River Falls
Falls Park on the Reedy is a 32-acre urban park located in the Greenville downtown of South Carolina. The waterfall is located in this park and is formed by the Reedy River cascading through rock cliff. There is a 350 feet long pedestrian suspension bridge named Liberty Bridge built around the waterfall which is supported by the cables on only one side while the other side offers an unobstructed view of the waterfalls. Admission to the park is free and is open mostly between 7am to 9pm.
Directions
The waterfall is located in the Greenville downtown near Furman College and one of the easiest to find once you are on US-29 highway. From US-29, you can take exit to the E Camperdown Way Falls and park near the place where E Camperdown Way meets or continues into Falls Street.
Hiking Trail
From the point where E Camperdown Way and Falls Street meet, one can walk for 2 mins towards the Liberty Bridge. Here you can see the beautiful waterfall on the Reedy River with several cascades. You can walk across the bridge while enjoying the beauty of falls and other parts of the park.
Once you cross the Liberty Bridge, you will see a restaurant located on the right side of the bridge, and outdoor amphitheater and rest of the park on the other side. The park is very well maintained with several scenic trails and is a good place for nature lovers. It also has picnic areas, public arts, garden areas with variety of flowers & birds, and the Reedy river itself flowing through the park. In addition to pedestrians, the park is wheelchair accessible and also one can take their bicycles to go around it. The park is also well marked which makes it easy for visitors to have self-guided tour.
One can get a close view the falls from Swamp Rabbit trail located below the bridge and also a front facing view from the same trail located besides the Furman College Way. There is another small cascade that can be seen from the Swamp Rabbit trail located near the Furman College Way.
The park also has trails that connects to Cleveland Park and Linky Stone Park located at the two different ends.
You can also check out our other post for more waterfalls that we explored during our fall trip visit to Asheville in North Carolina.
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Hope you enjoyed reading this post. Let us know if you visit any of these waterfalls and how did you like them.
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