Jumping Off Rock

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 stopped in the parking for a few minutes. I happened to be the only one here.

I read over the informative board on one side of the parking area, among other things, before continuing.

While being careful to avoid a few lumpy spots, I slowly made by way south. I spotted a small waterfall, ...

 and this second, much more impressive one along the way:

I also passed by three minor overlooks on the way to the fourth, Jumping Off Rock. Fog shrouded the second and the third.

Just past this third overlook is a steep, eroded drop. If I had known about this section, I would have parked and ridden my bike the rest of the way. I made it down fine, but I knew getting back up would be a challenge.

I parking on the small parking area on the opposite side of the road and followed a short, obvious path up to the overlook. A large monument is the first thing I could see.

A short distance away is the iconic overlook.

Low clouds obscured the overlook somewhat but Lake Jocassee is still easily visible:

I took some more photos from various angles, then I continued down Horse Pasture Road to Bootleg Road. I parked off the side of the road and walked down Bootleg Road. I needed a break from traveling the rough road so walking suited me just fine! I found a few old side roads along the way, but nothing worth noting here.

At the end of Bootleg Road are two abandoned boat ramps inside what Duke Energy labels the Bootleg Access Area in one of their Lake Jocassee maps:

The boat ramps, I'm guessing, must have been built when the lake was impounded in the early 1970s.

How a boat trailer was to get here is an interesting question (perhaps from the south?). Given the decaying state of these ramps, plans to develop this access area must obviously have changed. My newspaper research turned up no useful information to explain what the original plans were or when the plans changed.

While at the shoreline I noticed two things. First, the lake level is a bit low:

Second, the lake was almost glassy smooth today:

Every over time I've seen it or been on it, the lake was rather choppy.

I walked back up to Horse Pasture Road. During my walk down and back up, several trucks made the trip down and back.

Horse Pasture Road passes by Bootleg Mountain, the site of a plane crash in 1950, where a memorial has been placed. If I had known a memorial was up there, I probably would have checked it out.

I spotted a falcon perched on a branch overhanging the road, but by the time I pulled over to take a photo, my falcont had flown.

I stopped at the fifth and final overlook I encountered. This one had the advantage of not being obscured by clouds or fog.

I continued on until I made it to a red gate, meaning it was time to turn around.

I made back up the steep incline by driving the road as if it were covered in snow and ice. After that though, I didn't have much trouble making it back out to the highway. Oh, and I never did use my bike!

My trip photos are in an an album on Flickr, or you can peruse them below: