Fall Creek Waterfalls

Friday morning, we woke up and had breakfast at camp and then headed to the trailhead for Yellow Branch Falls in Sumter National Forest.  This is a popular one, so we wanted to arrive early and beat the crowds.  Hiking down the trail, there was more beautiful mountain laurel blooming.

We crossed Yellow Branch on stepping stones a couple times and then the trail curved away from the creek.

In just over a mile, it wound around back to the creek at the base of Yellow Branch Falls.

It's such a beautiful waterfall, one of my favorites in South Carolina, especially in the high water.  I took of my boots and waded in the water to see it from different angles.

A little blackbelly salamander popped his head out of a log near the base of the falls.

After a little while, we headed back.  By the time we made it back to the parking lot, several more cars had arrived.

Continuing on, we drove to the trailhead for Fall Creek Falls.  After parking we hiked down along the first waterfall, which was right below the road.  There were some scenic upper cascades.

Then it was a steep scramble down to the base.

The upper falls is not actually on Fall Creek, but a tributary.

After some pictures, we continued on.  We saw some jack in the pulpit along here.

Continuing on, there was no official trail, but it was pretty easy following the tributary downstream to North Fork and then Fall Creek.  A little over a mile and we came to the second waterfall.

It's a big one and there was no mistaking it.  It was a really scenic waterfall and we spent some time here enjoying the view.

It was just a short ways further to Chattooga River and the third waterfall on Fall Creek, just upstream of the confluence.

There was a lot of rhododendron in the way for a good view.  As we made our way back to the car, it started raining.  Luckily, we had completed the hard parts before the rain.

Back at the car, we returned to Oconee State Park and went to the Foothills Trail parking.  From here, we took the combined Foothills Trail/Hidden Falls Trail.  After about 1.5 miles, the trails split and we followed Hidden Falls Trail.  There was a small Disappearing Falls near the start of the creek.

Not much water, but kind of cool how the water disappeared into the ground.  As the trail descended, there were more mountain laurel.

There were even a couple rhododendron starting to bloom.

The trail continued on around and back to the base of Hidden Falls, a tall waterfall in several sections.

I climbed up to the middle section for a close up view.

We stopped at the base for a snack and to enjoy the view.

Then we headed back.  Sandy and Alex drove and I took Oconee Trail back to the campsite.

We had another fire before bed.

Daniel Ridge Hike

Thursday morning, we took Alex out to the mountains for a long holiday weekend.  Our first stop was at the Daniel Ridge Trailhead near Davidson River in Pisgah National Forest.  It rained most of the way out, but was just a drizzle by the time we arrived around 10.  Being a dreary weekday morning, there was only one other car at the trailhead.  We hiked down the Forest Road 5046 across the bridge to Toms Spring Falls.

With the heavy rains, it was really flowing.  I climbed up the side for a couple pictures and also from the road.  Unfortunately, the view from the road is getting pretty overgrown.

There were some beautiful mountain laurel blooming as we continued down FR-5046.

The road curved around and crossed Toms Spring Branch again below the upper waterfall.

This one was looking really good in the high water.

Shortly after the waterfall, FR-5042 intersected Daniel Ridge Loop Trail and we turned right to follow the loop.  There were some beautiful flame azalea growing along the trail.

Where the trail intersected with Farlow Gap Trail, we turned right to attempt to reach Twin Boulder Falls on Right Fork.  The crossing of Right Fork, which is normally an easy rock hop, was a massive torrent.

There was no safe way to cross, especially with the dog.  So we headed back, following Daniel Ridge Loop Trail down.  Although we didn't get the waterfall we wanted, I did get to see some trillium.

Sandy also spotted some fairy wands.

Continuing down the trail, there were some nice cascades and small waterfalls along Right Fork.

There was the remains of an old bridge across the creek just above where Right Fork and Daniel Ridge Creek come together to form Davidson River.

Past the confluence, the trail split where left stayed on Daniel Ridge Loop and the right trail followed the river more closely, passing some primitive campsites.  We took the right trail and found some more small waterfalls on Davidson River.

A little snail was crawling on the rocks here.

There was the remains of what looked like an old dam a short ways further.

A nice cascade was just downstream of the dam.

We spotted a nice jack in the pulpit along the river here.

The trails joined back together near the ruins of the old fish hatchery.

Soon we reached the end of the loop and bridge back over Davidson River.

We finished our hike up back at the car.

Back at the car, we made another quick stop at Lower Rockhouse Creek Falls.

It's a roadside waterfall, right where FR-475 crosses Rockhouse Creek just above the confluence with Davidson River.  Then we left the forest and stopped to get take-out lunch from Hawg Wild and support our favorite BBQ restaurant in the area.  Next, we drove to the trailhead for Thompson River along Brewer Road.  We wanted to get Simon Falls, but with the high water, it would not be safe to cross Thompson River.  So we followed the trail for just under a mile.  Right before the turn for High Falls was a less conspicuous turn to the left that went down towards Reid Branch just below the waterfall.  The path came out below the waterfall, but there was too many rhododendron in the way for a good view.

I waded through the water to the base for a good view.  On the climb back up, we found another path that left to a great view of the falls from the side.

Then we hiked back to the car.

Continuing into South Carolina, we arrived at Oconee State Park and set up at rustic test site 5.  After getting set up, I took a short hike on Oconee Trail.  There were really a lot of mountain laurel blooming here.

The Oconee Trail went past the campsite lake that was really pretty in the evening light.

I followed the trail past the campground for a ways.

As the sun was beginning to set, I headed back.

After my hike, we built a fire and then went to bed.