Waterfall Adventure

On the Sunday before Memorial Day I headed up into the northwest corner of South Carolina for a waterfall adventure. I visited 5 that I had not seen before and revisited one old friend. I left around 7:30 and headed up I-26 and US76 toward Westminster. Along the way I encountered this neat step back in time:



I encountered a fair amount of rain throughout the day, but thankfully most of it fell while I was driving (and I was in my car rather than on a motorcycle, so it didn't matter), and my hikes were for the most part dry.

The first one, Chau Ram Falls, is in Chau Ram County Park just north of Westminster. This is a good one for those not inclined to hiking, as you can literally park right at it. The park entrance fee is a reasonable $2 per car. There are hiking trails that will lead you to another 5 waterfalls, but since I had others scouted out for the day, I elected to save those for another day. Camping is available for $20 a night, so maybe I'll head back one day soon and camp and catch those other falls.



The next one was Riley Moore Falls, just a bit further up US76 and off Cobbs Bridge Road. The directions say to hike up 748-C, which I found not to be marked, but it's very near 748-B. It was a somewhat strenuous and lengthy hike, made additionally challenging by all the wet and slippery red clay caused by the rain, but it was well worth the effort.



I then continued a bit further up US76 to Brasstown Falls. It was a fairly easy hike, though scrambling to the base was a bit challenging. There are three other levels that are more difficult to access, so I passed on them but may have to return to seek them out.





Continuing even further up US76, almost to the SC-GA border, I next visited Reedy Branch Falls. It was a very short and easy hike, and an absolutely beautiful waterfall.





Next in line was Fall Creek Falls, a bit east of US76. The guide states that the upper falls can be seen from the road, but I found the view very lacking, so I descended the very steep terrain to get to the base. It was very challenging getting down and back up, compounded by the slick mud and leaves from the rain, but it was well worth it.





I ended up on SC28 to head homeward, and I passed the sign for Isaqueena Falls, which is another good one for those not inclinded to hike, as it's a very short and easy walk, and it's an impressive waterfall. Always worth the stop to see it, so even though I've seen it several times, I stopped to see it once more.



By then I was sufficiently worn out, so I meandered back toward Columbia, catching a few post offices for my collection en route and enjoying a much-deserved Cracker Barrel breakfast near Clemson. These five new waterfalls brought my visited waterfall count to 50.