yellow branch falls

The main trail, about 3 miles round trip leads to Yellow Branch Falls. One of northwestern South Carolina's many beautiful waterfalls. Camping also available.

The falls were beautiful. The 1.3 mile hike took right at an hour. Bring water with you. And, when you think you are lost, hike another 20 minutes to find the falls.

I've lived in this area for over 35 years and have visited many of the local waterfalls. It compares very well with a lot of others. In fact, there are a lot of impressive tiered waterfalls akin to this one, so it's in good company. It is a bit of a hike to reach (just over 1.6 miles according to MapMyWalk when we tracked the return leg). The forest was mostly shaded and the waterfall was several degrees cooler than the trail, so that was all good.The only negative is that the path is about 2 feet of clear ground with another 6-8 inches on either side which is partly clear, and beyond that, a lot of undergrowth. And a good bit of the trail edge and undergrowth is poison oak/ivy. It was everywhere, so beware.The return hike took us about 45 minutes (with two kids, 9 and 11) and it felt like the trip to the falls took slightly longer. All in all, a fine diversion from Stumphouse Tunnel/Issaqueena Falls which are just across the street.

Plan on a 1 hour hike one way for moderately challenging hike over hills ,creeks, bridges and logs to a spectacular falls. Another group had a young girl that hiked the whole way in.

Yellow Branch Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in South Carolina, in my opinion. We visited as part of a marathon hiking trip to hit 15 watefalls in SC over a long weekend. This was definitely one of my favorites. It's a fifty-foot tall vertical cascade over black rock and is absolutely gorgeous. The white water contrasting with the dark rock in hundreds of various cascades makes a wonderful sight. The hike to the falls is about 1.5 miles and moderate in difficulty. Given the length, there's a chance you won't have the falls to yourself, but it's not going to be crowded either. From Walhalla, take SC-28 north about 7 miles and turn into the the Yellow Branch Picnic Area in Sumter National Forest. Take the Yellow Branch Nature Trail and turn onto the Yellow Branch Falls Trail to the falls. This is a moderate hike through a beautiful hardwood forest with not much elevation change until you approach the falls. In warmer weather, there is ample opportunity to cool off in the cold water from the falls. You could even take a shower, like my buddy Jim is doing in the picture. :) Even if there are no other people at the falls, you will likely not be alone. There are a ton of blackbelly salamanders that live in the rocks and logs at the base of the waterfall. They're very cute and not shy around people, but be careful not to step on them!

After a restful night at the Mountain Aire in Clayton GA (see tripadvisor for my 5 star review), we set out to explore another hidden local treasure- Yellow Branch Falls at the end of Yellow Branch Trail. For 1.5 miles on the trail we marveled at lush walls of Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel, stepped carefully on well placed rocks to ford several charming little streams, and finally got a few minutes of cardiovascular workout as we climbed up, up....up to see the Yellow Branch Falls in a large opening just ahead. Fifty feet high and 75 feet wide, this falls looks a bit like a layer cake with several falls of various intensities dropping from varying levels of rock outcroppings. I've heard louder falls, but Yellow Branch has a nice enough roar. The basin is open, very accessible and would be an easy place to explore if that's your pleasure. We were there in January so we did our best to stay dry- also an easy task. Had we wanted to cool off it would have been just as simple to find a reasonably flat spot in the basin where the water flow was gentle enough for one to sit. Had we wanted to clamber up, there were several options for a safe enough ledge right in the Falls to sit directly in, behind or just in front of falling waterWe neither saw nor heard anyone for the 2.5 hours we were there. Believing that had to be due to the time of year I asked around town (Walhalla, SC and Clayton, GA), but no one seemed to have even heard of it. FYI- The restroom is extremely basic. Just to be safe BYO TP.

Dizem que é uma das cachoeiras mais bonitas da carolina do Sul. Também a achamos muito bonita. Vale a pena a visita.