Cedar Creek Falls Near Walhalla SC
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Cedar Creek Falls is located in Sumter National
Forest. The creek is a feeder creek to the Chauga River that
eventually flows through Chau-Ram Park and
into Lake Hartwell.
The main challenge of the hike is getting to the trail head.
Starting at the Oconee County Courthouse in Walhalla (a recently built
four-story brick and glass building on the 200 block of West Main
Street), travel west on SC 28 toward Mountain Rest. The road
ascends steeply in approximately 4 miles and passes Yellow
Branch Picnic grounds (left) and Stumphouse
Tunnel Park (right) in 5 miles (these are worthwhile destinations
themselves). After passing the Sumter Ranger Station on the right
at 5.6 miles, you come to a 4 way intersection with Whetstone Road at
6.0. Bear left. Follow this road 0.7 miles bearing left onto
Cassidy Bridge Road and in 0.9 bear left onto US Forest Service Road 744
(gravel road). Then 3.2 miles from this intersection bear right
onto US Forest Service Road 744C (it is 0.1 miles after Road 7441 on the
left with the Buzzards Roost
hike).
Backside of
Rich Mtn - looking south east toward Toccoa, GA
A short distance on the
left is a small grassy road that leads to an open area with a nice
winter view of the back side of Rich Mtn and Currahee Mtn, near Toccoa
GA. We
recommend that you park and walk up this path a short distance to take
in the view.
Currahee
Mtn from Rich Mtn View
Follow road 744C for 2.5 miles until another road (#2658)
bears right by a gate. Park at the gate but don't block either
road ( Approximate GPS Coordinates 34º45'42.34"N 83º11'09.56"W )
.
Summary The hike begins by following the road for
approximately 1/4 of a mile.
Cedar Creek
Trail.
Then bear right onto a
rutted dirt road that is blocked with granite boulders. Follow this road for another 1/4 mile. To
the left will be a steep and dangerous faint path that leads steeply
down hill to Cedar Creek and the bottom of Cedar Creek falls. The
footing on this path is loose and when wet slippery.
Cedar
Creek Falls
At the creek, Cedar Creek falls is toward the right and the top of
Blue Hole falls is toward the left. To view Blue Hole falls
involves more scrambling on a faint footpath. We didn't visit but
understand that you have to cross Cedar Creek and follow a path that
roughly parallels Cedar Creek. Waterfall
Hikes of Upstate SC has more information about getting to Blue Hole
falls.
top of Blue
Hole falls
For a more adventurous
hike, return to the granite blocks and bear right continuing on the Forest Service road.
At the end of the road look along the edge for a faint fisherman path that
leads down eventually to the Chauga River. The profile below
assumes a hike to the falls and then a partial return continuing to the
Chauga River.
Chauga River
Total distance from
start to Chauga River including waterfalls is approximately 1.5 miles.
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