Waterfalls of the South Carolina Upstate
Along the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway to granite domes, a clear mountain lake and a dozen falls.
- Distance
- 143 km (89 mi)
- Driving
- 1 h 35 min
- Suggested days
- 3
- Stops
- 8
- States
- SC, NC
- Updated
- May 5, 2026
At a glance: 3-day road trip of about 143 km (89 mi) with 8 stops, from Greenville to Issaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel. About 1 h 35 min of driving in total.
Route description
Begin in Greenville, where Falls Park puts a waterfall in the middle of downtown. Drive north on US-276 through Travelers Rest to Caesars Head State Park, where the overlook sits beside the road and a four-mile round-trip trail reaches Raven Cliff Falls.
Drop back to State Road 11, the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, which follows the base of the Blue Ridge past peach stands and small churches. Table Rock State Park is the showpiece, a bare granite dome above a lake with a stone lodge from the 1930s.
Continue west to Devils Fork State Park on Lake Jocassee, whose clear water hides waterfalls you can only reach by kayak or boat tour. From here State Road 130 climbs across the North Carolina line to the overlook at Whitewater Falls.
Finish around Walhalla, where Issaqueena Falls and the unfinished Stumphouse railroad tunnel share a parking lot, and several short trails lead to more falls along State Road 28. Spring brings the highest water; summer weekends are busy at the lake.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Greenville
SC - 21 km
Falls Park on the Reedy
NatureGreenville, SCA waterfall in the middle of downtown Greenville, crossed by the curved Liberty Bridge. Easy to combine with a walk along Main Street.
- 343 km
Caesars Head State Park
ViewsCleveland, SCA granite overlook on the Blue Ridge Escarpment right next to the parking lot, and the trailhead for the hike to 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls.
- 413 km
Table Rock State Park
NaturePickens, SCA bare granite dome reflected in a lake, with rustic 1930s park buildings. The summit trail is a strenuous all-day climb; the lake view needs no effort.
- 529 km
Lake Jocassee, Devils Fork State Park
NatureSalem, SCThe only public access to a clear mountain lake fed by waterfalls, many of them reachable only by boat or kayak. Rentals and tours run from the park.
- 613 km
Whitewater Falls
NatureSapphire, NCOne of the highest waterfalls in the East, seen from a paved overlook a short walk from the parking area just north of the South Carolina line.
- 736 km
Walhalla
SC - 89 km
Issaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel
HistoryWalhalla, SCA 100-foot waterfall next to an unfinished 1850s railroad tunnel you can walk into. Both are a few minutes from the same parking lot.
