Another weekend arrived and we wanted to take the dogs on a hike. We’ve done a lot in North Georgia and decided to try South Carolina instead. Since we’d gone to Lake Keowee for the Solar Eclipse, we decided to explore the surrounding area. Our travels lead us to Yellow Branch Falls in the Sumter National Forest.

Since we were also trying to get some practice driving for our teenagers, we drove up to Clayton and then on a windy road to Mountain Rest. There, we stopped at a local restaurant called the Rooster’s Call for burgers. Since we had the dogs with us, one of us stayed in the car with the dogs (and AC running) while the others ordered. I had the pimento cheese burger which was hearty.

Just about five miles down the road, we parked at Yellow Branch Falls. The trail is about 1.5 miles to the falls. As we climbed up and down, dodging tree roots along the rugged path, we passed friendly hikers and other dogs.  After 1.5 miles, we came to the falls.

There were several things I particularly liked about these falls. First, you could walk right up to the rocks. There was no dedicated platform where people were squished together. We had fun climbing the rocks and one person was napping on one of the ledges.

I also liked that although they were not tall, these falls were really wide. The water cascading down wasn’t located in one big burst, but in nice trickles all around. It was like a gentle shower.

After returning to the car, we drove literally across Hwy 28 to Issaquena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel Park. For a $2 parking fee, you can visit both in less than an hour. We drove to the parking lot for the falls. Just a short walk away is a view of the top of Issaqueena Falls. The wooden platform area was crowded and some people were taking the ten minute walk to the base of the falls.

We drove over to the other parking lot to see Stumphouse Tunnel. I couldn’t figure out what it would be, but the sign explains it all.

In a nutshell, construction of a railroad tunnel through the mountain began before the Civil War, but was never completed. Now, you can walk in the tunnel area. Using our flashlights from our cellphones, we could feel the cool air as we walked through the wet, sometimes sloshy, earth.

You don’t appreciate the light until you turn around and walk back towards it to exit. Its like another world inside, completely oblivious to the outside world.

After leaving South Carolina, we took a windy path to Toccoa, Georgia. I’d heard there are falls you can almost drive up to on the Toccoa Falls College campus. Our map directions took us to the wrong part of the campus, but a helpful person gave us directions. Some of us were tired and cranky and opted to stay in the car. We went into a Visitor Center, walking through a gift shop and towards the back of the building. I had no idea what to expect. So far, I wasn’t impressed. We continued to walk a few feet and there it was – a tall, really tall waterfall.

Who knew this would be right here on a college campus? It was another one of those falls where you could walk around and enjoy. One lady had a stroller and when I walked by, something inside yelped. It was a baby – but two small dogs.

As we left, we went into the student center to use the restrooms and fill up our water bottles before driving home. The students were courteous and said things like, “How are you doing?” and “Hello.” I later found out it is a Christian college of only 750 students on 1,100-acre campus. It might be worth looking into for our family.