Caesar’s Head to Jones Gap Palmetto Trail

2019 Hiking week 5
Waterfall on the trail.
This past weekend we had a long, fun, group hike in the mountains. We were visiting my parents outside of Greenville and we went for a hike. My parents have hiked all the waterfall trails and state parks in the upstate and parts of North Carolina. I’ve done many hikes with them over the years so we decided to do another this weekend. This time, my sister joined us with her dog. The trail is called Jones Gap Trail and is from Caesar’s Head State Park to Jones Gap State Park. It is mostly downhill, about 5 1/2 miles, with some waterfalls along the way. You follow the Middle Saluda passage of the Palmetto Trail. The section we started with was actually not part of the Palmetto Trail, but we joined up with it later. The park ranger at Caesar’s Head said that they’re planning some adjustments to the trails in the park, which will also change the route of the Palmetto Trail. I’m not sure their time-frame on this but hopefully it will help with some of the parking congestion, the parking lots in the area fill up quickly.
There was some ice along the trail.

We got to Jones Gap State Park and parked our car around 9:00 am, then we drove over to Caesar’s Head and parked down Hwy 276 to start our hike. We started around 10:00 am. Many sections of the trail are rocky and become river beds when there is water. Because of the amount of rain we’ve had recently, there were many sections where the trail was muddy or we had to cross some streams. In the beginning, there were a couple of log bridges we had to use to cross streams. I was glad for my waterproof boots!

To see some of the waterfalls we had to leave the trail to get a better view but they weren’t far off. We stopped at one waterfall to have some snacks and water. The trail wasn’t very busy. Most of the trail we only came across a few other people. We could tell when we were getting to the end when we started to see more hikers. About a mile or two from Jones Gap park, there is a spur trail to Jones Gap Falls. We could see it from the trail but by that point, we were ready to finish the trail. Then, before the last mile to the park, there’s another spur to Rainbow Falls. From there to the park, it’s not too far.

Palmetto Trail Info

I don’t have a lot of pictures from the end of the trail or Jones Gap, by that point, we were pretty tired. The park was pretty nice though. Some camping areas and a nice creek running through. When we left, the rangers had the park closed to new comers. Apparently they limit the number of people in the park during busy days so they only let people in when others have left. So I highly recommend getting there early if you want to do this hike. It took us at least 4 hours to do this hike. I don’t think this is standard. I think it took us longer because of the group we had and because of the terrain. The rocks and crossing the streams slowed our progress. Also, we felt pretty mentally drained at the end as well. It’s crazy how tiring it can be just watching where you’re walking and being careful not to step in mud or trip. I also think we weren’t planning on this hike taking that long. We thought we’d be done around lunch time but it was after 2:00 pm when we finished.

I recommend this hike. It was really pretty with lots of waterfalls along the way. I strongly recommend doing the 2-car system if you want to do the trail just one way. It would be a nice area to camp in as well. Also, there are a few camping sites along the trail that looked nice, so you could plan an overnight trip and see a lot of nice sights. And I just have to say I'm always surprised by how nice, patient, and helpful the park rangers are! We talked with a few different ones at each park and they were so helpful. Makes me a little more proud of South Carolina. 

Nearby: 
  • Pretty Place - a special place for us since that's where we got engaged. Worth stopping by. Just up Hwy. 276. 
  • Travelers Rest - lots of good restaurants and breweries
  • Victoria Valley Vineyards Winery off of Hwy. 11 - wine and snacks, nice views
  • Keowee Towne Market - further south on Hwy. 11 but a good place to stop for supplies or food. Know that service can be slow but they have a nice outside seating area to relax in.
Location: Caesars Head, South Carolina 29635, USA

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