This is a fun little adventure! A short moderately trafficked quarter-mile hike takes you to a series of waterfalls that really will take your breath away. Oconee County in South Carolina contains 150 waterfalls. The Cherokee name literally means “land beside the water.” Brasstown Waterfalls (South Carolina) has been a favorite destination for a long time but I haven’t been here since the spring of 2017—before cancer!
The first set of falls cannot be easily reached in the winter because you need to cross a fairly deep pool of water to view it—meaning you have to wade or test your ability to balance across fallen trees that now span the river.
But you can stick to a sandy pathway that will take you to the upper middle falls, which is beautiful. I had no problem accessing this set of falls.
The hike is listed as a 20-minute moderate in and out. It is moderate to this set of falls, but I noticed the trail immediately disappeared before me. I’ve scrambled around on this hillside in the past but this time, a good bit of the trail was washed away or eroded. So, to get to the lower falls, you would need to climb along the hillside and then down to the sluice. It’s a steep, root-exposed area. But it’s well-worth the time it takes to view all three falls—just not after a heavy rain. On this day, I stopped at the second set of falls.
I’ll return in the spring when there’s more daylight and sun! Be sure to visit nearby Brasstown Creek Gathering BBQ Place for some of the most incredible BBQ around. No joking. You will pass it on the way to the falls. The food is delicious and the staff is super nice. The owner is right there chopping ribs!
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