Jones Gap State Park Loop

Jones Gap State Park: Pinnacle Pass/John Sloan/Rim of the Gap Loop – 2/9/19 - 7.4 Miles

For someone who thinks she is “good at” geography, I do not have a firm mental map of the relationships of state parks and other public lands that touch each other at the mountainous NC/SC border. I can wave my hand in the general direction of Jones Gap State Park, but I can’t drive you there without consulting Google maps. Hmmm...is it really just south of Dupont State Forest? And what about Holmes Educational State Forest - NC or SC? I thru-hiked the Foothills Trail from Oconee State Park to Caesars Head State Park, but the details are fuzzy. And Mountain Bridge Wilderness – what’s that all about? I must do better.

Still working on my “60 Hikes” self-challenge, my wintertime options were determined by algorithms of good weather, reasonable drive time, daylight hours, and road openings. On this day, Jones Gap State Park fit the parameters, so off I went. And of course I was surprised (again) by how easy the drive is from Charlotte.

NOTE #1: Unlike NC state parks (free), the SC state parks charge a small fee, usually cash in an envelope at the parking area (small bills, no change for your $20). Also, the mountain area state parks do not have trash receptacles, so plan to carry your sandwich wrappers and Big Gulp cups home.

NOTE #2: Trail signage is a Forrest Gump practice in Jones Gap SP. Hikers, know your trail names, numbers and blaze colors. You never know what you’re gonna see!

A bright February day, temperature in the low 40’s, a nice clockwise loop of Pinnacle Pass Trail to John Sloan Trail to Rim of the Gap Trail and back to the visitor center, looks good on paper. I’m hiking on a Saturday and expect to see lot of peeps (surprise – not a soul on my entire route. Wake up, South Carolina!)

At 10:00 a.m. I crossed the Middle Saluda River on a wide bridge and started from the 
Jones Gap Trailhead. 

A trail closure – does that affect my plan?  A quick check of my trail map says nope.

About the length of a football field, a left turn onto the Rim of the Gap Trail (#6 yellow blaze); a few minutes more, another left turn onto Pinnacle Pass Trail (#20 white blaze), and we get serious. Pinnacle Pass is steep, a bit technical, many boulders. Very dry conditions today - I can imagine what it’s like after a rain or a freeze. I’m a little (lot) nervous at the thought of an injury on a very cold solo day, making yet another pledge with myself to get a personal locator beacon.

I don’t know the name of the creek that creates this slippery slope.  This is one place to be extra super-duper careful as the trail passes close alongside.

There was a short respite as the trail goes over the shoulder of the mountain, then another very steep climb on narrow track to what I hope is the summit. A side trail to the right with a chain link handrail took me to a rock outcropping and a firstclass view to the rock cliffs on the far side of the gap and beyond.

Near the center of the ridgeline in the photo is a small white horizontal line that is Pretty Place Chapel and YMCA Camp Greenville. I once attended a lovely wedding of two hiker friends there.

I stopped for lunch at an innocuous spot along the ridgeline trail, just me and my cheese and crackers in the stillness of the day. 

When you’re sitting near the ground you see things in a different way

White blazes were abundant on Pinnacle Pass Trail, never out of sight. I was the only sound, boots kicking up rustling leaves, no breeze.

The trail passed over a second bump (maybe that was Little Pinnacle?) and a third bump, then through a few hundred yards of mountain laurel tunnel before opening to a wide road bed.

What’s this all over the ground?

Some critter ripped big holes in the tree 20 feet high

I paused at the 6-20 Connector Trail (#22 purple blaze), interesting that the sign is chained to the tree (to prevent it from becoming a souvenir?).  I considered shortcutting over to Rim of the Gap Trail here, but continued on, fingers crossed that the next intersection would be as easy to identify (it wasn’t.)

                                                                                                                                                      

P1 campsite, looks like bring-your-own-water

I arrived at a wide clear space that looked like a trail Junction, but no signage.  I puzzled for a moment, turned 360 degrees and saw a small pink blaze on a tree on my right.  About 40 feet past it was a tiny trail sign for the John Sloan Trail connector (#21 pink blaze).  I could not have seen it from the intersection.  

No need to be annoyed – the John Sloan Trail was a beauty, 1.2 miles of easy-peasy. At the next junction, a right turn put me on the ROTG Trail that parallels Pinnacle Pass Trail at lower elevation and I hiked 2.5 miles back to the VC to complete my loop. I was quite surprised to see the poor condition of this trail, until I considered that winter always takes its toll and maintenance cannot happen everywhere at once.

Altogether the loop took me 4.5 hours, longer than normal but factoring in the rock scrambling and valley viewpoint and lunch and plain ol’ lollygagging on a solitary day.  I will visit again in another season (not summer) to compare.

Another great report of this loop hike here.

“As you sit on the hillside, or lie prone under the trees of the forest, or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream, the great door, that does not look like a door, opens.”  ~Stephen Graham

Jones Gap State Park: Rainbow Falls

Jones Gap State Park Waterfall Hike – 4/27/18 - 6 Miles

Did I mention that I’ve set a new yearlong hiking challenge?  The goal is 60 hikes between my 60^th and 61^st birthdays. That’s 5 hiking days per month, which seems pretty impossible considering my work schedule and winter weather, so I’ve set some generous parameters. First of all, I’m fudging the start date as of 4/1/18. Second, a four-mile minimum. Third, it counts if it’s a real trail that I’ve done before (looking at you, Crowders Mountain) but I won’t blog about it. Fourth, local greenways in the flatlands count as long as they are new to me. I’ll dialing into the Carolina Thread Trail network for new greenways…but more about that in a later post.

Today’s hike was bonafide, new to me, 6 miles of real trail, and waterfalls!  A great sunny, solo Friday hike.

Some definitions:

Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area - In the mountains (yes, mountains!) of Upstate South Carolina, this area encompasses more than 10,000 acres of cove hardwood forest and includes two state parks, Caesar's Head SP and Jones Gap SP. “Mountain Bridge” refers to the two watersheds within its protected boundaries, the Table Rock watershed and the Poinsett watershed, and as you can guess, waterfalls abound.

The Palmetto Trail – South Carolina’s cross-state trail in progress, 500 miles of hiking and biking when completed. The trail consists of 26 passages (sections). An excellent website is here. 

Middle Saluda Passage of the Palmetto Trail – 14 miles pass through the Mountain Bridge Wilderness

Are you with me so far?

 

I’ve known about Jones Gap State Park but had never set foot in it until today. I’ve hiked to Raven Cliff Falls at her sister park, Caesar’s Head, a couple of times in my early days. Today was all about Rainbow Falls, on the Waterfalls 100 Challenge list. It’s on the property of YMCA Camp Greenville (adjoining the park) and until recent years the camp granted access to hikers.  Now a trail within the park connects to the camp’s trail, creating a longer hike experience.  The out-and-back to the falls is very straightforward, one turn, about 5 miles round trip.

Jones Gap State Park Visitor Center

Starting from the visitor center, blue-blazed Jones Gap Trail gentle rises upstream alongside the Middle Saluda River. After about a mile, I turned right onto red-blazed Rainbow Falls Trail, crossed the Middle Saluda, and got a workout with a 1,000-foot elevation gain in 1.6 miles. Spring green was bustin’ out everywhere and wildflowers were abundant. Several times this trail crosses Cox Camp Creek, the source of Rainbow Falls, as it flows to intersect Middle Saluda. Cox Camp Creek isn’t remarkable until you realize that this amazing waterfall comes from that unremarkable creek.

Middle Saluda River 

 

 Bridge crossing the Middle Saluda River

 

Say "thank you" to YMCA Camp Greenville

 Crested dwarf iris

Robin’s plaintain

Getting closer

The trail ascended steadily up and to the right, then made a sharp left turn to trace the ins and outs of coves approaching the waterfall.  I passed two young women hiking back down, one carrying a fat happy baby in a backpack, and hoped that there was no one else at the falls (there wasn’t). I could hear the thunder long before I saw it.

First look at Rainbow Falls

 

Lower cascade

So, so, so powerful! The relentless pounding of rushing water overpowers to the point where it’s not even loud, it’s just there.  If you’re alone, it is part of the background as you sit and watch cascades repeat and repeat and repeat, and you think you hear the trickle of the flow near your feet.  If another person is present and you see their mouth moving but hear no words, you are brought back to the roar of the water again.

Rainbow Falls

My return hike along the same route reiterated that each moment in life is unique if you pay attention.  Same trail, same day, even the same hour, but from a different viewpoint, and new flowers have sprung up. 

Longspur violet

Common blue violet

Amsonia willow (Bluestar?) This one was new to me

Catesby’s trillium

Large-flowered trillium – or a fading Catesby’s?

A Hobbit hole

A fellow nature lover enjoying the sunshine by a small cascade of Cox Camp Creek

Red blazes

Back at the intersection, I turned right to continue on Jones Gap Trail (aka the Palmetto Trail). 

Ten minutes later I arrived at Jones Gap Falls, in solitude again at this 50-foot cascading gem with an inviting pool at its base. [I’m telling you, take a Friday off and avoid the masses. You will not be sorry you missed a day at work.]

Again, the gentle stroll back the way I came was a whole new experience – and what to my wondering eyes should appear but Jack-in-the-pulpits!  The blooms are small, low to the ground, hidden underneath spring leaves, but once you’ve seen one, you’ll see a bunch. Spotting a single blossom of any flower gets me excited and finding a dozen in close proximity is thrilling.

Near the parking area, the finishing touch to my hike was a large patch of Eastern Sweetshrub, also called Carolina Allspice for its blooms’ spicy fragrance.  My personal opinion: the blossoms look like creepy burgundy-red spiders.  I am fascinated by them. 

Today’s goal: see some waterfalls.  Today’s success: waterfalls in solitude, blue skies, spring flowers in profusion. God is good!

“This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.”  ~Maya Angelou