Explorer's Guide Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains () by Jim Hargan

Author:Jim Hargan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2012-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

SOUTH CAROLINA’S BLUE WALL AT CEASAR’S HEAD STATE PARK

Three state parks make up the bulk of the recreational opportunities in this area. Table Rock State Park, on the western edge of this chapter’s region off SC 11, centers around an outlying dome of hard, gray rock that looms 2,000 feet above the park’s lakeside picnic area; history buffs will want to check out its extensive CCC architecture, listed on the National Register. Caesars Head State Park, bisected by US 276 in the center of the region, protects a long series of cliffs and waterfalls—the only place on the Blue Wall with cliff-top views you can drive to. Jones Gap State Park protects the upper reaches of the Middle Saluda River, with some spectacular cliff scenery.

RIVERS The French Broad River The French Broad River begins at the far western edge of this chapter’s area, as three fast mountain streams drain off the slopes of the Blue Ridge and merge near the small village of Rosman, on US 64. At this point the river is deep in the mountains at 2,200 feet above sea level—yet it will spend the next 52 miles meandering gently across a flood plain. In this length it manages to travel only 26 linear miles, describing a gentle crescent that passes through Brevard before passing out of this chapter’s area north of Hendersonville. Its constant meandering, doubling the length the water must travel, cuts its gradient in half and makes it a slack-water Class I canoe trip. Riverside scenery is pastoral, with nearly continuous farmland and all in private ownership.

RECREATION AREAS Table Rock State Park (864-878-9813; fax: 864-878-9077; 158 E. Ellison Ln., Pickens, SC 29671). Open every day, 7 AM–9 PM. Built in 1936, this 3,000-acre park preserves a 3,100-foot mountain dome, plus enough historic CCC architecture to place the entire park on the National Register of Historic Places. The central attraction is, of course, Table Rock, a cliff-sided outlier of the Blue Ridge that towers 2,000 feet above the picnic area—a horizontal distance of only 1.4 miles. Most visitors enjoy the view from the lovely little lake or the wildflower meadows at its base; but more than a few climb the very steep 3.5-mile trail to its peak, for wide views over the Blue Ridge and out over the level plains of the Deep South. The park has a CCC picnic area on a small lake, CCC-built log rental cabins, a lakeside restaurant with dining room views toward Table Rock, and a nature center.

Caesars Head State Park (864-836-6115; 8155 Greer Hwy., Cleveland, SC 29635). Open April–September, 9 AM–9 PM; October–March, 9 AM–6 PM. Bisected by US 276, Caesars Head State Park occupies a 3,200-foot cliff-faced ridge projecting out into South Carolina’s Blue Wall country. A roadside overlook offers stunning views over the rugged Blue Ridge, toward Table Rock and the plains of the Piedmont. Nearby, a visitors center has an information desk, gift shop, and exhibits on area history. Raven Cliff Falls, at over 400 feet (one of the tallest in the East), is in this park.

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