A LOT of hype accompanies any literature written to guide one to South Carolina's highest waterfall. Reportedly over 400' in height, it's understandably a major draw for visitors to the Upstate. Also the fact that the trailhead is along busy US-276, near equally busy Caesar's Head State Park, and that it's only a 2-mile easy to moderate one-way hike means many, many people see the falls every year. Combined, the hype and the busyness had effectively kept Raven Cliff Falls off of my radar. I had caught the wildflower bug this spring, however, and needed a quick, nearby hike where I might have a good chance of finding some. Common sense told me that going to Raven Cliff on a sunny, spring Saturday might not be the most enjoyable experience but I figured between the flowers and the falls I could probably tolerate the crowds. Come on along and see what I found...
Trailhead GPS Coordinates:35.115984, -82.638350
Route Type: Out-and-back Difficulty: CHALLENGING (Petzoldt Rating: 5.60 )
Hike Length: 4.6 miles Hike Duration: 1:30
Trailhead Temp: 60'F Trail Traffic: 100+ people
Min. Elevation: 2,750' Max. Elevation: 3,100'
Total Vertical Gain: 500' Avg. Elevation Gain / Mile: 109'
Trails Used (blaze color): Raven Cliff Falls/Foothills Trail (red)
4-26-2015
Dave Kathy Weemhoff
on May 4, 2015I've never been there, but the trail and scenery are beautiful -- Springtime and flowers-- nice.