Visiting South Carolina's Upstate Parks: 9 '16

Table Rock Mountain East Face

We had fund today exploring some of South Carolina's Upstate Parks.  Our first stop was at Table Rock State Park. The Park is named after the Massive Granite Mountain that dominates the park's landscape. Legend has it that local Indians believed that the rock was the table for a giant, and the smaller mound to its right the giant's stool.   The likeness is a little more obvious when the mountain is viewed from the west. Either way it is a lovely State Park, with lots of lakes,streams, and hiking trails of all levels of difficulty.

Table Rock Mountain viewed from the rear

Caesar's Head Overlook

Next, we stopped at Caesar's Head State Park.  A granitic  outcropping atop the dramatic Blue Ridge Escarpment gives Caesars Head State Park its name. The easily-accessible overlook atop the rocky peak of the Blue Ridge Escarpment allows a spectacular view that extends into North Carolina and Georgia.  Caesars Head connects to Jones Gap State Park in what is known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, an 11,000-acre area of pristine southern mountain forest. Hikers can take a number of loop and traverse hiking trails that connect the parks, and trail side camping is available for those who choose the longer routes.  We were content today just to take a few photos and move on to Jones Gap State Park

Jones Gap State Park is located on the scenic Middle Saluda River and is part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. The Park offers trails, camping, and some of the finest trout fishing South Carolina has to offer. The trail to Rainbow Falls was closed while we were there ( due to some heavy rain we had a couple of days ago), but we were happy enough with a less strenuous hike along  the lush, wooded  river bed.