Campground Pros and cons:…read more Pros: -Lake was clean and perfect to swim in -Everyone respected quiet hours -Staff at check in was fabulous -Bathroom close by -clean Cons: -No playgrounds in the campgrounds -Neighbors fire pit smoked for two days straight. Heavy billowing smoke and nothing the camp host would/could do about it. Not sure why rangers don't address the issue. Our throats were raw and we could not sit outside. We ended up leaving a day earlier than scheduled. -pricey for state campground. 60 bucks a night for a campsite.

We spent Labor Day 23 at table rock State Park in Pickens South Carolina. Overall not a good…read moreexperience. The park had quiet hours at 10 and for the most part people respected The quiet time and the staff was super friendly. The main reason we disliked this park was the smoke. Many of the campers either did not know how to light and maintain a fire or the campground is selling wet wood but either way the smoke was overwhelming and made it miserable. The Rangers should absolutely have addressed the smoke issue by going to each of the campsites and finding out what was going on.. One of our campsite neighbors had smoke going for two days straight and it was unbearable. In addition the sites were way too close together for such a beautiful park it could've been laid out to keep everybody happy and maintain some privacy. Lastly, the park is very expensive compared to other state parks.

This was well-worth the drive from Columbia, SC. The hike wasn't that long. There were some stairs…read morethat were pretty steep but hand rails were available. Absolutely Stunning views.

Beautiful waterfalls for just a short hike** from the parking lot. Has 3 sections,…read moreCascades/Veil/Sluice, the Cascades is the first one to get to and the easiest. The Veil section is probably my favorite part, it's a picture I see when someone mentions "waterfalls". I didn't hike down to the Sluice section as it didn't seem worth the effort after seeing the Cascades and Veil sections. ** excerpt from Richard R's amazingly detailed review and great tips "The hike is short to the first section of the falls known as "The Cascades." This is a highly appropriate name since this section really is more of a series of cascades than a waterfall. On the day of my visit, there had been several days of rain making the trail extremely muddy, but also making the falls extremely full! The flow was so strong that it was hard to see where the Cascades separated from the second section known as The Veil. You reach 'The Cascades' by following the trail on the right after the information board. You will go uphill slightly before making your descent down to the cascades. You will hear the falls long before you reach them. The downhill trail to the cascades is relatively easy, but it gets far more difficult when you continue downhill to see the two lower sections. NOTES: This is a class three hike, meaning you will need both hands to navigate the steepness of the trail. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND good hiking boots and a backpack for any camera, phone or other items you might carry in your hand. You will definitely need both hands to hold on to branches, tree roots or whatever you can find. * SCOUTING TIP - It is better to take the higher routes as you navigate your way to the lower falls. * SCOUTING TIP 2 - This trail IS NOT suitable for young children or anyone who doesn't have sure balance. Your legs, knees and upper body will be heavily used! * SCOUTING TIP 3 - DO NOT bring a walking stick. Again, you will need both hands to navigate this trail safely. I personally did not see the advantage to hiking down to the base of the second section known as 'The Veil'. However, if you are feeling adventurous, you can actually walk behind this section of the falls on low flow days. The trickiest part of the trail is finding your way to the base of 'The Sluice' section. At first I considered forgoing the hike since it was rather steep, but another hiker on his way up showed me pics on his camera that convinced me to continue. There is also a downed log you can use as a bridge to balance across to the other side for an even closer view of this third section of the falls, which looks a lot like a powerful water slide." https://www.yelp.com/biz/brasstown-falls-long-creek?hrid=Weq_6ZUYbqLd0Ao6QafbDg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Awesome experience on the French Broad River with Kevin and his crew. He is knowledgeable,…read morefriendly, and the experience was once in a lifetime. We brought along kids as young as 9 and they had a great time, and were monitored by support staff. We were able to get a unique window into the underwater life of the NC mountains. Don't miss this opportunity if you get the chance.

It took just a little over an hour to get there from pendleton. Beautiful scenery on the drive…read more Pictures Do not do it justice,,, great day trip

We had a day to explore the area and we drove up here from Greenville. It was a nice drive and the…read moreweather worked out at the mountain. The overlook at sassafras mountain is designed very well with an old castle wall look. There are stairs and a long winding ramp for those needing it. From the park g lot there is two ways to reach the overlook. You can walk next to the gate on a paved path or you can walk a trail next to the bathrooms. We chose the trail. Returned the paved road. Much easier. Lol. When you reach the top there are landscape pictures on the sides that let you know where everything mountain and notable towns are located. Pretty cool concept. The other great feature is the structure is built on the NC/SC borders according to the paintings on the ground. It was a nice little drive and view.

We had an amazing time with our tour guide, Joe. He was full of knowledge and there to help if we…read moreneeded a hand getting over any tricky spots. Would definitely do it again and high recommend.

Great trip! Joe and Daniel led an awesome trip on Cove Creek Canyon. They made the trip fun and…read moresafe. The guys were personable and approachable. They made the trip feel safe and fun at the same time. While my wife was nervous as she'd never done any like this before, they made it easy to feel at ease. We highly recommend their company. Loved it!

Lake Jocassee is beautiful, but if you are only seeing it from the small part accessible from…read moreshore, you are really missing out. If you don't own your own boat, you couldn't do better than Stephanie at Jocassee Keowee Rentals. We knew we wanted to rent a boat for at least one of our days at Devil's Fork State Park and researched several of the other area companies. We chose Stephanie and JKR because she had the best value. In fact, because her prices were so reasonable, we were able to rent for two days for not much more than one day would have cost with the other providers. Stephanie's commitment to customer service was also great. Since we were renting for two consecutive days, she allowed us to leave our ice chests and fishing gear on the boat overnight, even providing us with a locking cable to secure our ice chest. We have 2 adult children and one 12 year old; when I picked up the boat, I described his size to her and she provided a life vest she felt would fit him. Later, we encountered her on the lake in her own boat and she swapped the vest out with another because she didn't feel it fit him perfectly. Her knowledge of the lake is also extensive, she provided us with a waterproof map and marked the best spots for photos and swimming. We were able to find them all and they were as beautiful as she described. To see someone who runs her business with such energy and joy is indeed a pleasure to see. We will definitely come back to Lake Jocassee and we will certainly call on Stephanie and Jocassee Keowee Rentals when we do.

Highly recommend!! We booked a kayak and a paddle board, and went to the park the day beforehand…read moreand saw how windy it was. Feeling a little worried, I reached out hoping to at least switch the paddle board to a kayak, but wanted something dog friendly too. And boy did their service go above and beyond! Not only did they give me recommendations for the dog, they also went out early to confirm conditions were safe before we headed out so we didn't waste a trip. They ended up bringing multiple options and getting us in a double kayak with room for my corgi to come along and it was the MOST beautiful day. They even refunded the difference in cost. So thankful they made my birthday kayak trip a success!

IF you want a challenging hike and are looking to score a bunch of amazing waterfalls on the SAME…read moreTRAIL, the Thompson River Waterfalls trail is your Huckleberry!!! Google maps has labeled the trailhead HIGH FALLS TRAIL HEAD just off Whitewater Road. As you turn onto Brewer Road, you will see a wide trail entrance on the corner. We parked along the side of the road near the entrance. There are multiple waterfalls along the trail as Thompson River makes its run down the mountain, dropping approx. 1,900 feet over 5 miles as it makes is way to beautiful Lake Jocassee. There are seven names waterfalls along the trail and 3 that absolutely should not be missed: HIGH FALLS, RICH FALLS & BIG FALLS aka THOMPSON FALLS. THE TRAIL The trail initially ascends about 60 feet but remains at a fairly consistent decline of about 500 feet along the entirety of the main trail. First up was REID FALLS at around .9 miles, but we decided to skip it. A split in the trail at around 1.1 miles leads to HIGH FALLS, a gorgeous 50 foot sliding ribbon waterfall. There really is no way to get an excellent picture of the falls without getting wet. The best vantage of the falls is across the river and a scramble over some large boulders to a beach like area. The pool in front of the falls is better than 6 feet deep, but most of the shallow areas were only ankle or calf deep. Back along the main trail we continued our descent down the mountain and next came to SIMON FALLS, which we also opted to skip. All of the falls (except High Falls) require a scramble downhill to view. Reid and Simon Falls have the least steep scrambles, but we wanted to conserve our legs for Big Falls, the steepest of the scrambles. We also bypassed Rich Falls around the 3.8 mile mark as we decided it would be best to see how we feel after tackling Big Falls. BIG FALLS Listen, however easy the trail seemed up until this point was about to SEVERELY change! The descent to the falls is about 535 feet in less that a quarter of a mile. IT IS VERY STEEP and some areas require sitting on your butt and sliding, other require holding on to low branches or roots and one area in particular requires mild vertical rock climbing. NOT KIDDING! But all of it is doable if you take your time and don't have any serious physical or health challenges. All of the MAIN trail is very easy to follow, but I would highly recommend downloading the ALLTRAILS map because it shows the exact entry points for the side trails to each of the falls. The side trail to Big Falls is easy to follow, but can be very faint in some areas. Once you make it down to the river, look for a side trail just before the final descent to the riverbank. It will lead you through a thicket of vegetation that leads to a boulder entrance to the falls. Navigate them as best you can to get to a great vantage point to view the falls. If you are not skilled at boulder hopping, this area will be very intimidating! But you MUST do it in order to view the Big Falls, which is not visible otherwise. NOTES / TIPS ~ Download ALLTRAILS MAP prior to your drive to the trailhead ~ There are 3 river crossings and yes you will get wet ~ Most of the falls require getting wet for best view ~ No restroom facilities at the trailhead ~ BRING PLENTY OF WATER & SNACKS FINAL THOUGHTS On our return, we were just too exhausted to attempt to see Rich Falls, so instead we used every ounce of energy we had remaining to make it back to the car. I was thoroughly exhausted. The 3.5 miles back seemed more like 10 and we'd run out of drinking water during our time at Big Falls. I recommend a minimum of five 16oz bottles to do this hike and more if you bring salty snacks. I'd also recommend you chug one bottle at the parking area before you begin. All in all this is an amazing trail full of gorgeous waterfalls. Big Falls easily has become one of my top 5 favorite southern waterfalls... but it is a beast of a hike! ALLTRAILS LINK: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/north-carolina/thompson-river-waterfalls?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map 2023 / 12

A series of gorgeous waterfalls along beautiful Thompson River as it makes its way from the higher…read moremountain elevations down to the Jocassee River. The trail offers a great experience for anyone at any hiking level. If you are like me and prefer more leisurely hikes, The first three waterfalls (Reid Branch, High Falls & Simon Falls) are fairly easy to reach. High Falls in particular is great for families with small children and has a wading pool of water at its base of different depths. There is even a small beach like area to relax and have a picnic. Just know you must get wet in order to reach the beach area, which also has the best view of the falls since High Falls kind of sits recessed into a little nook making it difficult to see in its entirety. But for those who are more like my husband and don't mind a more difficult hike, Rich Falls and Big Falls further downstream will give you plenty of challenge. Although I must say, my husband was sore several days after his hike and while he thought Big Falls was stunning, he was miserable on the return. He said the side trail to Big Falls was extremely steep and challenging, both on the way down and especially on the climb back out. It drained him completely at age 54 and he still had to endure a 3.5 mile hike back to the car running on empty. Knowing him he'll do it again! MEN... LOL Also near the parking area is a trail leading to White Owl Falls. A very short hike to a beautiful 20 foot waterfall. Walk west on Whitewater Road from the parking area and look for an opening with a pink ribbon tied to a tree branch about 900 feet from the trailhead.

As we are making our way into the Foothills this morning, Mrs. K. declared, "It's nap time." and I…read morewas obligated to find a good spot for us to park the campervan for a rest. Lo and behold, the signage for this park appeared and I figured we could give it a shot. The entrance was easy, the road in was smooth, and before long, we were winding our way down toward the lake. There were no rangers about for our "day use" parking and found a fabulous area that was literally right next to the lake where we parked for an hour or two this morning. So very quiet, the lake was still smooth as the Saturday boaters hadn't started yet. Later in the morning, we headed back out. No, we didn't hike and we didn't check out the waterfall this morning. That was fine because this visit wasn't about checking boxes or chasing views. Our visit was peaceful, restful and wonderful. [Review 497 of 2026 - 1422 in South Carolina - 25679 overall]

Enjoyed a quiet weekday camping before school lets out. Had the tent campsite all to myself. Very…read morepeaceful.