749 – Mountain Cat Falls

Accessibility – Moderate+ Bushwhack/Scramble

Height: Approx 40′

Distance – 4.2 miles RT

Beauty – 7

Photo rating – 6

Solitude – 7

GPS Info: LAT 35.03233 LONG -82.78506

Last Visit – 01-30-2022

Last updated – 02-27-2022

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Mountain Cat Falls is at the 2200 ft elevation on an unnamed tributary of Reedy Cove Creek near Rocky Bottom SC. Accessing the falls is 95% walking an undulating logging road, and 5% following the path of least resistance to the falls. There are several fallen trees you will have to negotiate to reach the base of the falls.

Trailhead GPS: 35.02966 -82-79804

Trailhead Drive: From the intersection of SC11 and US178 head North on US178 for 5.5 miles. You will see a gravel road heading up the grade on the right. There is a pullout just past this road on the left side of the road. I park here and walk the short distance down US178. Coming from NC, the pullout is 10.7miles South on US178 from Rosman High School.

The hike: start up the gravel road walking past the gate. The road is going to be obvious the whole time, so you’re going to follow it as it snakes in and out of each drainage. You will pass over small creeks at 0.1, 0.5, and 1.3 miles from the TH. After the creek at 1.3 miles, the road will climb steeply for the next half mile before topping out. It will swing through a sharp righthand switchback and at 2.0 miles from the TH, you will come to the point where you leave the trail. If it’s not too overgrown you can find the end of the road that intersects but just look for a spot where it’s open and head into the woods to your left. These coordinates are a good spot to leave 35.03214, -82.78647. You will pick up the deteriorated roadbed and follow it toward a rocky area to the left of the falls. Climb over and under the fallen trees to reach the large stone that sits in front of the falls.

On your way to the falls along the overgrown road, if you look up to your left, there is a very cool rock formation that looks like Chimney Rock. Getting up to it isn’t terribly hard.