Waterfall Hero Hikes: South Mountains State Park NC

South Mountains State Park is a North Carolina State Park in the Burke County, between Asheville and Charlotte. The park protects a portion of the South Mountains, an isolated range separated from the Blue Ridge Mountains by the Catawba River Valley. One of the largest parks in the state park system at over 19,000 acres, the park contains over 40 miles of hiking trails, equestrian trails, developed and primitive campsites, and several picnic areas nestled within the mountains. The park's most popular landmark is High Shoals Falls, a beautiful 80-foot waterfall on Jacob Fork River.

Contact Information:

3001 South Mountain Park Avenue
Connelly Springs, NC 28612

Phone: 828-433-4772
Email: south.mountains@ncparks.gov

Directions:

South Mountains State Park is located in southern Burke County about 20 miles south of Morganton. From I-40 in Morganton, take exit 106 and go south on NC-18. In 11 miles, turn right on Sugarloaf Road and go 4.3 miles. Turn left on Old NC-18 and go 2.7 miles and turn right on Ward Gap Road. Follow this road into the park.

Map:

Trails:

Big Bear Trail:

Length: 0.2 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Orange Rectangle

Use: Hiking only

Big Bear Trail splits from High Shoals Falls Loop Trail and follows Shinny Creek up to Big Bear Falls. There are some nice cascades along the way.

Chestnut Knob Trail:

Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Blaze: White Diamond
Use: Hiking only

Chestnut Knob Trail starts from High Shoals Falls Loop Trail, 0.2 miles from the parking area. It ascends steeply for the first mile via long switchbacks and starts to level off as it comes to Jacob Fork River Gorge Overlook. High Shoals Falls is visible, but the view is best in winter when the leaves are down. The trail continues to ascend, but more gradually, eventually reach a split near the summit of Chestnut Knob. Left goes to the Chestnut Knob Overlook and right passes the summit and ends at Sawtooth Trail.

Clear Creek Trail:

Length: 2.1 miles

Difficulty: Strenuous

Blaze: White Circle

Use: Hiking only

Clear Creek Trail starts from the dam at the Clear Creek access and follows the creek upstream for 2 miles.

Fox Trail:

Length: 3.7 miles

Difficulty: Strenuous

Blaze: White Hexagon

Use: Hiking and equestrian

Fox Trail connects Lower CCC Trail to Raven Rock Trail and Pine Ridge Drive. There is a nice viewpoint near the eastern end.

Headquarters Trail:

Length: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Blaze: Orange Hexagon
Use: Hiking and mountain biking

Headquarters (HQ) Trail starts from High Shoals Falls Loop Trail 0.5 miles from the trailhead right after the bridge over Shinny Creek. The trail follows the creek up to Shinny Creek backcountry campsite where Shinny Trail begins. From here, it gets steep and heads up to its terminus at Upper Falls Trail.

Hemlock Nature Trail:

Length: 0.3 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Blaze: White Triangles

Use: Hiking only

Hemlock Nature Trail starts at the Jacob Fork Parking Area and leads along the creek, ending at High Shoals Falls Loop Trail to provide an alternate hike back. Interpretive displays for self-guided education are located along the trail.

Hidden Cove Trail:

Length: 1.5 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Orange Diamond

Use: Hiking only

Hidden Cove Trail starts near the visitor center and runs parallel to the main park road to Turkey Ridge Trail. The trail ducks into numerous coves along the way.

High Shoals Falls Loop Trail:

Length: 2.7 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Blaze: Blue Square
Use: Hiking and equestrian for first half-mile, then hiking only

High Shoals Falls Loop Trail is the most popular trail in the park as it leads to the beautiful waterfall. From the Jacob Fork Parking Area, the first half-mile is shared with mountain bikers. Chestnut Knob Trail splits to the right in a quarter mile and Headquarters Trail after a half mile. The trail is hiking only past this point. Shortly, there is a split to form the loop. Going left the trail follows Jacob Fork upstream, eventually crossing the river on a long footbridge. From here, the trail is steep as many stairs lead up to the base of High Shoals Falls. More stairs lead up past the top of the waterfall and then the trail crosses the creek again and joins up with Upper Falls Trail. In about another 0.5 miles, Upper Falls Trail goes left and High Shoals Falls Loop bears right to loop back to the split.

Horseridge Trail:

Length: 3.3 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Blaze: Orange Square
Use: Hiking and equestrian

Horseridge Trail is a remote trail connecting Upper and Lower CCC Trails, running along a ridgeline in the north of the park. Sawtooth and Possum Trails also branch off from Horseridge.

Jacob Branch Trail:

Length: 1.1 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Red Hexagon

Blaze: Hiking only

Jacob Branch Trail connects Upper Falls Trail and Fox Trail, crossing the upper portion of Jacob Fork on a footbridge.

Lake View Trail:

Length: 1.3 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Red Rectangle

Use: Hiking only

Lake View Trail starts from the Clear Creek Access and makes a loop around the lake, passing a small waterfall. There are two creek crossing along the trail that can be difficult in high water.

Little River Trail:

Length: 2.1 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Blue Triangle

Use: Hiking only at beginning, then hiking and equestrian

Little River Trail starts at Jacob Fork Parking Area and leads up to Upper CCC Trail. The trail passes close by Little River Falls, although the waterfall is actually on a tributary.

Possum Trail:

Length: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Blaze: Red Square
Use: Hiking only

Possum Trail starts at Shinny Trail and ascends steeply to Horseridge Trail. This trail can be used to make a loop with Chestnut Knob Trail.

Raven Rock Trail:

Length: 5.2 miles

Difficulty: Strenuous

Blaze: White Circle

Use: Hiking and equestrian for first section, then also to biking in the upper portion

Raven Rock Trail splits from River Trail near the family campground and heads up, eventually following a paved road. The trail ends at Benn Knob Trail.

River Trail:

Length: 0.5 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Blaze: Red Triangle

River Trail leads from the family campground to Jacob Fork Parking Area, following Jacob Fork River closely. This is the park's TRACK trail.

Sawtooth Trail:

Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Blaze: Blue Hexagon
Use: Hiking and equestrian

Sawtooth Trail starts at Upper CCC Trail and leads about a mile to Chestnut Knob Trail, passing the Sawtooth backcountry campsites. In about a half-mile past Chestnut Knob Trail, there is a clearing with nice views of the mountains and picnic table to have a scenic lunch. The trail ends at Horseridge Trail.

Shinny Trail:

Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Blaze: Blue Diamond
Use: Hiking only

Shinny Trail starts at the Shinny Creek backcountry campsite at Headquarters Trail. The trail follows the creek for a while, passing Possum trail at about 0.4 miles. After following the creek for a while, it ascends steeply to end at Upper Falls Trail.

Turkey Ridge Trail:

Length: 1.7 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Orange Circle

Use: Hiking and equestrian

Turkey Ridge Trail connects the equestrian campground with Saddleback Trail and Little River Trail.

Upper CCC Trail:

Length: 1.6 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Red Diamond

Use: Hiking and equestrian

Upper CCC Trail connects Little River and Horseridge Trail.

Upper Falls Trail:

Length: 3.7 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Blaze: White Square
Use: Hiking only

Upper Falls Trail starts at Raven Rock Trail and crosses Jacob Fork above High Shoals Falls. After splitting with High Shoals Falls Loop Trail, it ascends to Lower CCC Trail.

Points of Interest:

Big Bear Falls:

Big Bear Falls is a waterfall on Shinny Creek near the confluence with Jacob Fork.

Chestnut Knob Overlook:

Chestnut Knob Overlook is at the end of Chestnut Knob Trail, about 2.3 miles from the trailhead at High Shoals Falls Loop Trail. In about 2 miles from the trailhead, there is a split near the summit of Chestnut Knob. Right goes to Sawmill Trail and left goes to the overlook. The overlook has nice views of the Jacob Fork River Gorge and Shinny Creek.