Jones Gap State Park
Long Trails
Visitors can find the unforgettable peace and repose of a deep mountain cove at Jones Gap State Park. Trails and 13,000 acres of pristine mountain woodlands join the park with Caesars Head in what is known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. The Jones Gap State Park trails allow hikers to traverse between the two parks, as well as connect to a portion of the Foothills Trail and Palmetto Trail South Carolina hikers know and love.
When it comes to angling-especially trout fishing-South Carolina really shines. The state’s first designated scenic river, the Middle Saluda River, runs through Jones Gap and offers some of the best trout fishing South Carolina has to offer–and the trout fishing in South Carolina is quite good. The park also features a living lab for the park’s hand-on ecology learning center.
The Saluda River Blueway provides over 70 miles of beginner-friendly and nearly 50 miles of more advanced paddling opportunities. Beginning in the pristine valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Pickens and Greenville Counties, the Saluda River borders six counties as it flows through Upstate South Carolina. The Saluda River is easily accessible, just off of several major highways, including Highway 11 in the mountains, I-85 in the Piedmont, and Highway 25 before flowing into Lake Greenwood. The Saluda River is the longest river flowing through the Upstate and runs through Pumpkintown, Cleveland, Slater-Marietta, Piedmont, Pelzer, Williamston, and Ware Shoals.
This is an advanced section with Class II-V Rapids on the Middle Saluda River. Paddlers will experience narrow chutes requiring technical skill in this boulder-infested stretch of river. Be aware of woody debris - because this stretch of the river is classified as a state trout stream, the removal of woody debris is prohibited.
The birth of national parks in the late 19th centry brought with it a unique and new style known as National Park Service (NPS) Rustic or, as it's more affectionately known by NPS staff, 'Parkitecture.'
Infused with native materials, natural whole logs, and built by hand (or meant to look as if it was), 'Parkitecture' defines the National Park Service experience in the collective memories of visitors just as much as our natural landscapes. In part, this is because the buildings were designed with the purpose of blending into landscapes instead of imposing upon them.
Rim of the Gap Trail
There are several huge rock formations, the most famous being Weight Watchers rock, a formation with an opening you can walk through if you are thin enough. Also, users will be treated to some striking views of Cleveland Cliff and Rainbow Falls. This is not a picture of it
