Accessibility – Hard
Height – 45-50′
Distance – 1.5 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 8
Photo rating – 8
Solitude – 9
GPS Info: LAT 34.77476 LONG -83.14439
Last Updated – 03-30-2025
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Hurricane Falls is a stunning 45-50 foot high waterfall located on an unnamed stream. The hike to it requires navigating several very steep areas and bypassing a large cliff. The entire hike from the end of the logging road to the creek is extremely steep. Hurricane Falls has a distinctly different appearance than most South Carolina waterfalls, owing to its ledges, a feature not commonly found in South Carolina, like in North Carolina. I don’t know the origin of the name, but I’m guessing it’s taken from nearby Hurricane Mountain. The creek is also unnamed. The creek eventually ends in Lake Jemike, and when it flows out of the lake, it becomes Yellow Branch, as in Yellow Branch Falls.
Where to park: The parking area is roadside on Rich Mountain Road, 2.3 miles from Cassidy Bridge Road. There is a wide area across from the trailhead. The GPS coordinates are: 34.77553, -83.15079.
The hike: The area on the one side of Rich Mountain Road was recently cleared via a controlled burn, but the hike isn’t going that way. Across from the wide-open woods, an old roadbed climbs the hillside. The first few feet are overgrown, but soon enough, the road is open and obvious. There are a couple of large obstacles to bypass, but otherwise, the hike up the knob is easy. When the road starts heading down, it will also curve around to the left, skirting the top of the ridge. Half a mile from Rich Mountain Road, the logging grade comes to a turnaround. The trail to the falls continues down from the end of the road. The first few feet are on a reasonable grade, but soon enough, the trail plunges off the side of the mountain. shedding about 300 feet in slightly more than 0.1 miles.
The manway is obvious as it bends to the right to bypass a dark cliff face, coming around the side and then in front of the wall before heading down steeply. The point just below the cliff is the worst of it, and after bypassing it and making the descent, the rest of the trip down to the creek is manageable. This isn’t to say it’s easy, but only easier. The trail ends between Hurricane Falls and Lower Hurricane Falls. Head upstream, crossing to river right, and follow the bank to the base of Hurricane Falls. The waterfall is impressive, and a victim of falling hemlocks, ones that will likely be there for many years to come.
The hike to Lower Hurricane Falls: Backtrack to the point where the trail ended at the creek and proceed downstream on river left. The most obvious route will lead you to the top of the falls, where the path turns left into a narrow seep/drainage. Getting to the base requires a brief sidehill to the seep. followed by climbing down the rock-filled gulley. All of the rocks move when you step on them, even the big ones, so use caution. The gulley ends on the bedrock on river left, and a short walk down the sloped rock gets you to the base. The better view is from the rock on river left, allowing you to see the part behind the large boulder on river right. On this page, you can see Lower Hurricane Falls.
