The 10 Most Mesmerizing South Carolina Waterfalls

There is nothing quite like getting out there in nature on a beautiful afternoon and hiking a peaceful forested trail. Temporarily breaking free from technology, getting in a healthy workout, breathing fresh country air, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the wilderness makes hiking the perfect rejuvenating weekend activity. What’s even better, is being treated to a gorgeous waterfall after working up a sweat. South Carolina, surprisingly, is home to many magnificent waterfalls. I never knew this before moving to Greenville.

While North Carolina is is known as the waterfall capital of the South, the Upstate offers no shortage of spectacular waterfalls itself. Fortunately, many of these are accessible via little to no effort. I have lived in the area for about 2 years and explored many of the most gorgeous state parks, scenic drives, and waterfall hotpots nearly every weekend. In my guide, I highlight 10 beauties to add to your bucket list. This will help you see the best if you are limited on time. If you are staying in Greenville, all of these wonders are conveniently located within an hour and a half drive (at most).

1. Wildcat Branch Falls

• Location: 5500 Geer Hwy, Cleveland, SC 29635
• Distance from Greenville: 40 min
• Hike required?: No
• Highlight: Located right off the highway, no hike required!
• What to do nearby: Check out Campbell’s Covered Bridge, the last remaining covered bridge in the state.

Wildcat is the most easily accessible of the waterfalls on this list. It’s not the tallest, however, the easy viewability and proximity to Greenville make it one of the best contenders for anyone who cannot hike. What this waterfall lacks in height, it makes up for in volume. This is one gorgeous voluminous waterfall despite the relatively short height of just 30 feet.

Anyone up for more of challenge may want to consider embarking on the hike to the Upper Falls. This trek starts right from the parking lot and involves a leisurely 1 mile stroll through the woods. While the main waterfall receives much traffic, the Upper Falls trail remains pretty isolated, making this a great place to get back to nature.

2. Reedy River Falls

• Location: 601 S Main St Greenville, SC 29601
• Hike required?: No
• Highlight: Located in beautiful Falls Park in the center of downtown Greenville
• What to do nearby: Take a stroll around downtown Greenville, lined with unique restaurants and boutique shops

Reedy River Falls in Falls Park is the centerpiece of downtown Greenville, an up-and-coming town which is seeing a huge tourism boom in recent years. Thousands and thousands of visitors flock to Main St. each year to stroll around Falls Park, a beautiful urban oasis which has won numerous awards. The picture-perfect park continues to lure many to relocate to the region. I moved to the area randomly (not knowing much about it), and I can say I have been so impressed by the downtown. You can find me strolling Main St. and enjoying the coffeehouses every weekend. In 2014, Falls Park joined the likes of Central Park and Garden of the Gods, amongst others, as one of the top 10 US parks.

Take a walk along award-winning Liberty Bridge, designed by Boston architect Miguel Rosales, for a prime view. Next, take a stroll along Falls Park, once home to numerous textile mills, but now a tranquil garden oasis. The trails here are lush with gardens and smaller waterfalls to see along the way. Whether it be summertime flowers, fall foliage, lively leafy green trees, or a light dusting of snow, the park is beautiful year-round.

3. Raven Cliff Falls

• Location: 8155 Geer Hwy, Cleveland, SC 29635
• Distance from Greenville: 50 min
• Hike required?: Yes (2.2 miles out-and-back, moderate-hard)
• Highlight: Tallest waterfall in the state
• What to do nearby: Enjoy a beautiful overlook of the mountains at Bald Rock Heritage Preserve.
• Learn more about hiking to Raven Cliff

Caesars Head is not only the best state park in the region, but also home to one of the most visually spectacular waterfalls. A 2.2 mile semi challenging hike will lead you to a nice overlook looking out unto this 400 foot wonder. Due to the uphill nature, this trail is better suited for avid hikers. I am a regular fitness buff and I still found this trail moderately challenging. Although the viewpoint is a bit further out in the distance than the others on this list, the gorgeous leafy background gives this waterfall an edge over the others, especially during the colorful fall season.

The drive over from either Greenville or Asheville is quite beautiful in and of itself: one of my favorite fall color drives in the region. Too bad I didn’t videotape the amazing foliage. This is definitely one to plan during the peak of autumn. Yes, it can get quite crowded. Nonetheless, it’s worth the hassle to enjoy some of the best leaf peeping in the Upstate.

4. Jones Gap Falls

• Location: 303 Jones Gap Rd, Marietta, SC 29661
• Distance from Greenville: 45 min
• Hike required?: Yes (1.5 miles out-and-back, relatively easy)
• Highlight: Secluded location
• What to do nearby: Check out Poinsett Bridge, the oldest bridge in South Carolina (also said to be the oldest in the Southeast)

Jones Gap combines with Caesar’s Head in a gigantic 11,000 acre uninterrupted forested area known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness. There are a number of quiet nature trails here which do not see nearly as much traffic as adjacent Caesars Head. So, if you are looking more to disconnect and enjoy nature in a more isolated setting rather than deal with crowds, Jones Gap is the better choice here.

The must-do hike here is the namesake Jones Gap trail. Surprisingly, it gets passed up in favor of the more arduous Rainbow Falls trail, which is considered the more beautiful waterfall. I decided to opt to hike Jones GAp instead and I am glad I did: what a gorgeous underrated hike and waterfall! The casual stroll is peaceful with great views of the diverse plant life and flowing creeks along the route. The ending view of a 50 foot waterfall cascading peacefully down a stone staircase, is a real treasure. And, because of the lack of crowds, it’s so much easier to take lots of pictures.

5. Station Cove Falls

• Location: Oconee Station Rd, Walhalla, SC 29691
• Distance from Greenville: 1 hour
• Hike required?: Yes (0.5 miles out-and-back, easy)
• Highlight: Peaceful during the off-season
• What to do nearby: Check out Issaqueena Falls, a beautiful waterfall accessible via a simple 5 min walk. Also Stumphouse Tunnel, an abandoned tunnel for the Blue Ridge Railroad (bring a flashlight).

Station Cove is a beautiful 50 foot tall multi stepped waterfall located in rustic Oconee County. Oconee recently made the list of the “50 last greatest places on Earth” by National Geographic. As this section of the Upstate is home to one of the greatest concentration of waterfalls in the state, plus plenty of beautiful state parks and lakes, this is a pretty fair assessment in my opinion.

A short relatively easy 1/2 mile trail leads you to this wonderful waterfall. It’s never overly crowded, although parking can still be a hassle due to the limited lot. This is one of the few waterfalls which is actually more stunning in winter. The isolated nature of the forest combined with the absence of foliage blocking the view makes up for the brisk temps and barren trees. One of my most memorable hiking experiences in SC was hiking here during the winter completely by myself: it was actually a bit eerie.