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Cedar Creek Falls, Sumter NF SC
Hiking Map & Guide

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Hiking

Toccoa Falls, GA
Toccoa, GA - #GA2
Tunnel Park
Walhalla, SC - #7
Buzzards Roost Heritage Preserve
near Walhalla, SC - #9
Cedar Creek Falls
Sumter Nat. For., SC - #12
Chattooga Flood Plain
Rabun County, GA - #GA3
Chau-Ram Park
Westminster, SC - #10
Long Mountain
Sumter Nat. For., SC - #3
Hidden Falls, Walhalla
Oconee State Park, SC - #4
Oconee Station Falls
Oconee County, SC - #6
Dukes Creek Falls
Helen GA - #GA1
Winding Staircase Trail
Sumter Nat. For., SC - #2
Jocassee Gorges Easy Hike
Transylvania County, NC - #NC1
Oconee Trail
Oconee State Park, SC - #5
Yellow Branch Falls
Sumter Nat. For., SC - #8
Table Rock Mountain
Table Rock State Pk, #PC1
Walhalla Fish Hatchery Area
Sumter Nat. For., SC - #1
Day Hiking the Foothills Trail (SC / NC)
Sumter Nat. For., SC - #11

Biking

SC Highest Peak
Pickens County -#PC1
Mountain Rest, Oconee State Park Loop
Sumter National Forest, SC - #3
Walhalla South (SC)
Walhalla, SC - #6
South Carolina High Mtn Ride
Sumter National Forest, SC - #2
Walhalla North (SC)
Walhalla, SC - #5
Sumter National Forest (SC)
Oconee County - #4
Westminster (SC)
Westminster, SC - #7
Blue Ridge / Piedmont Ride
Sumter National Forest, SC - #1

 

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).

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 (see photos below).  We recommend that you park and walk up this path a short distance to take in the 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.

Summary  The hike begins by following the road for approximately 1/4 of a mile.  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.

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.

For a more adventurous hike, at the granite blocks continue on the Forest Service road.  At the end of the road look along the edge for a faint path/road that leads down eventually to the Chauga River.  By the evidence along the river, this appears to be used by fishermen.

Total distance from start to Chauga River including waterfalls is approximately 1 mile.

 

Cedar Creek Trail Map


Miles  ~ 3/4 round trip to falls / ~2 mile round trip to Chauga River
Road Maps Good County Map: Oconee County SC Street Map
    South Carolina Highway Map
    Georgia Highway Map
    North Carolina Highway Map
Other Area Guides     Waterfall Hikes of Upstate SC
    Foothills Trail Guidebook
    Hiking South Carolina
    Long Trails of the Southeast
    Trekking the Southern Appalachians
    South Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer
    Other SC Guides
    USA Guides
    Georgia Atlas & Gazetteer
    North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer
Local Lodging     Seneca SC
    Clemson SC 
    Clayton GA
    South Carolina
    Georgia
    North Carolina

Rich Mountain View
Backside of Rich Mtn - looking south east toward Toccoa, GA


Currahee Mtn, GA
 Currahee Mtn from Rich Mtn View 


Cedar Creek Trail
Cedar Creek Trail.

Cedar Creek Falls
Cedar Creek  Falls

Blue Hole Falls
top of Blue Hole falls

Chauga River
Chauga River Upstream

Chauga River
Chauga River Downstream


Revised 10/2006