Mark's Photo Travels

Hospital Rock Trail is a strenuous 4.4 mile trek from Jones Gap State Park  to Falls Creek Falls on Falls Creek where the trail becomes Falls Creek Falls Trail . I've hiked in Jones Gap State Park several times before, but this time I planned to visit Buckeye Falls and Hospital Rock, two places I've never visited before, and both on Hospital Rock Trail. Hospital Rock Trail begins near the old fish hatchery a short distance beyond a foot bridge over the Middle Saluda River. The Cleveland Fish Hatchery , South Carolina's first state owned fish hatchery, was built in 1931 by the South Carolina DNR and operated until 1963. Part of the hatchery has been restored for educational purposes. What interested me was a map showing where the other parts of the fish hatchery were located. I believe the waterwheel casing shown on the map was here, behind a decaying split rail fence: Vegetation eliminated any chance of taking a clear photo of the masonry. As I hea...

I had planned on going on two adventures this week, but a cancellation and a forecast of wet weather forced a change in plans. Now there would only be one adventure this week. A few weeks ago I had visited Jump Off Rock , a popular mountain overlook in Laurel Park, North Carolina. With the fall leaves showing full color, it was a good time to visit another similarly named mountain overlook, Jumping Off Rock , in Pickens County, South Carolina. Jumping Off Rock is about 9 to 10 miles down Horse Pasture Road, a windy, gravel laden, one lane forest road off US 178, now open year round to vehicles. The best way to travel Horse Pasture Road is with a high clearance vehicle such as a jeep or a truck. I didn't have either one, just a car, so I made a backup plan. I packed my gravel bike in my trunk and would stop and continue on bike when the road got too much for my low clearance car. A short distance down Horse Pasture Road is the parking area for the Foothills Trail. I sto...