South Carolina – Jones Gap State Park

Several state parks in the northwest corner of South Carolina offer some good hiking, so we decided to check out one of these parks – Jones Gap State Park in Marietta, SC.

Early settlers established farms in the backwoods and their places were practically inaccessible, but an enterprising individual named Solomon Jones constructed a road around the boulders through the gap in the 1850s. This opened the way for farmers to bring their livestock to market. To pay for the road the state legislature set tolls.

Too costly to maintain, the road was abandoned in the 1950s and eventually became conservation land. Now it is hard to even imagine that parts of the trail used to be a toll road.

The first thing we saw as we entered the park was a bunch of boots and containers by the river. The park’s Learning Center has an aquatic ecology lab and it looked like they were ready to teach a school group.

We headed for the Jones Gap Trail which connects to another state park. We only took it as far as Jones Gap Falls – a 3.2mi hike total (there and back). We really enjoyed this walk through Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron along the gurgling river; we just loved the sounds.

The reward was the 40ft high Jones Gap Falls, which we had all to ourselves – a nice lunch spot.

About half way back, a spur trail leads to Rainbow Falls. It’s only 1.6 miles to the falls, but it’s a steep climb. Barbara opted to head back while Bill headed up the trail.

A trail book said “It’s a very steep elevation change, and you will be crawling over boulders. But it’s definitely worth it—the waterfall is the best in South Carolina.”

We’re not sure if it is the best, but this 120ft high waterfall was pretty impressive even during dry season.

We never make cairns, but we take pictures of them if we find some. We found some at both falls.

We had a great day at Jones Gap State Park.